Following an historic appearance for Ivory Coast in the nation’s first ever World Cup finals, Yaya signed for Monaco but suffered being played out of position by manager László Bölöni. As the Ligue 1 team struggled, sitting second from bottom in the league, Bölöni was sacked and Yaya became instrumental in rescuing the French side.
It was during that period that Yaya developed his reputation as an attacking midfielder, scoring five goals in the final seven games of the season to ultimately save Monaco from relegation. So convincing were those performances that Barcelona soon came calling…
After impressing at the 2006 World Cup, Yaya joined AS Monaco and was crucial in helping them avoid relegation from French Ligue 1.
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