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Manchester City fans think Yaya Toure might just have lifted the club's "Champions League curse".
The Champions League is the one trophy the sky blues have yet to win in the history, having debuted in the competition in 2011.
City, despite dominating domestically in the last decade, have had a number of near misses in Europe.
Pep Guardiola's have been eliminated by Real Madrid in the semi-finals on two occasions, most recently in extra time last season after a dramatic second leg comeback from Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu.
City came closest in 2021, only to lose 1-0 to Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea in Porto. There have also been disappointing knockout stage losses to the likes of Monaco and Lyon in 2017 and 2020 respectively.
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The sky blues are always among the favourites for competition but Toure's outspoken agent, Dimitri Seluk, controversially claimed an African curse was thwarting Guardiola and City in the Champions League in retaliation for his treatment of the Ivorian.
"He [Guardiola] turned all Africa against himself, many African fans turned away from Manchester City," said Seluk.
"And I'm sure that many African shamans in the future will not allow Guardiola to win the Champions League.
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"This will be for Guardiola an African curse. Life will show whether I am right or not."
On Thursday night, Toure, who played under Guardiola for both Barcelona and Guardiola, was in the final's host city of Istanbul, Turkey, for the draw.
City were paired in Group G with Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen. Beforehand, City legend Toure wished his former employers "good luck" and plenty of supporters think that means the so-called curse, is now void.
Guardiola guided Barcelona to two Champions League titles but his last triumph was 11 years ago and he hasn't won the prize at Bayern or City.
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There have been a number of factors and possible explanations for Guardiola struggling for success in Europe in the last decade.
But City will be hoping the £51 million addition of Erling Haaland helps prove to be the difference in the big moments.
Toure, meanwhile, is now working in the academy set-up at Tottenham Hotspur and fans think he helped them out with a kind draw.
Topics: Champions League, Manchester City, Yaya Toure, Barcelona, Pep Guardiola
Josh Lawless