This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure has made a surprise move to Chinese second tier club Qingdao Huanghai, the League One leaders announced on social media on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.
The 36-year-old midfielder, who has not played since December, is expected to make his debut on Saturday when Qingdao host Zhejiang Greentown.
Toure's move comes after he shot down claims made by his agent in May that he was planning to retire. In a Twitter post, the three-times England Premier League winner clarified his intentions, stating, 'There has been a lot of confusion about my future recently. I want to make it clear here that I love football and I’m still in contention to play for a few more years.'
Qingdao currently lead the 16-team China League One by four points from Guizhou Zhicheng with the campaign at the halfway stage. The top two teams will be promoted to the Chinese Super League at the end of the season.
