Barcelona presented Franck Kessie as their latest signing this afternoon. The Ivorian spoke well about his ambitions at Camp Nou and claimed he wants to emulate his compatriot Yaya Toure.
“My dream is to work hard to have a career like his,” Kessie said of Toure as carried by Mundo Deportivo. “Yaya is a great champion and I was lucky to play with him with the national team. He was a complete player.”
Toure enjoyed a decorated career that saw him earn 101 caps for the Ivory Coast and represent clubs like Beveren, Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos, Monaco, Barcelona, Manchester City, Olympiacos (again) and Qingdao Huanghai.
Kessie, who’s earned 58 caps for the Ivory Coast, began his career back home with Stella Club before joining Atalanta in Italy. After a season on loan with Cesena he established himself in their first team, earning a move to Milan in 2017.
He joins Barcelona after helping Milan win their first Scudetto since 2011 in 2021/22. Xavi Hernandez will hope that he brings that winning mentally to Camp Nou – they need it. Barcelona finished 13 points behind Real Madrid last season, unacceptable.
Kessie will form a key part of Xavi’s midfield roster at Barcelona alongside – as things stand – Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez.
WELCOME! pic.twitter.com/etIDQALkVl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 6, 2022
