Toure 'Disrespected' When Man City Forgot His Birthday

Spare a thought for £250,000-per-week footballer Yaya Toure.

Just a fortnight after spearheading Manchester City’s latest Premier League title win, the Ivorian midfielder’s agent claims his man is on the hunt for another club after being solemnly disrespected by the football club when they forgot his birthday.

Yes, contrary to a video posted by Manchester City earlier in the season, which shows teammates singing Happy Birthday and presenting Toure with a cake aboard the club’s private plane, the wantaway star's agent Dimitry Seluk claims they didn’t do enough to celebrate the occasion:

“Yaya is so upset he's thinking of leaving City,” he told The Sun. “There are a number of things that have happened that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset. He must concentrate on the World Cup now. But City have treated him with disrespect and have really hurt him."

“This isn't about money or a new contract,” he added, “it’s about human relationships and City have shown they don't respect him. I repeat, this is not about money. In fact, he would take less to return to Barcelona. What happened at his birthday meant the club don't care about him. It was proof. They can say whatever they want, 'Oh we like him but we forgot. About Yaya? The player who helped you to be two-times Premier League champions? The guy who helped you win the FA Cup and the League Cup?

And he wasn't finished there. It seems birthdays are that important: "His birthday can be on a normal day and, in a normal team, his team-mates and club would at least give him good wishes. But when you win the title on May 11, a day later you go to Abu Dhabi and on May 13 you have a big party to celebrate the title and nobody comes to Yaya to say, 'Happy birthday', what more do you want?"

It isn’t the first time Toure has aired a gripe. Just last month he claimed he doesn’t get enough praise in European football because he hails from Africa, while last season he complained at getting champagne as a Man Of The Match award due to his strict religious beliefs, resulting in Sky Sports scrapping the bubbly prize altogether.

Be it for us to cast aspersions, but if he were exaggerating a situation to force a move elsewhere, all he needs to do is say he’s sick of the Manchester rain. That's completely understandable.