Man City defender Kolo Toure is determined to make an immediate impact on his return from a drugs ban to prove his doubters wrong.
Defender relishing return to action
Manchester City defender Kolo Toure is determined to make an immediate impact on his return from a drugs ban to prove his doubters wrong.
The 30-year-old is now available for selection again after serving a six-month ban for taking water tablets, packaged as diet pills, which contained a banned substance.
Toure insists he took the banned substance unknowingly and an independent commission was satisfied the former Arsenal defender did not intend to enhance his sporting performance or mask the use of a performance enhancing substance.
Strong
However, the Ivory Coast international knows there are still people who doubt the commission's findings and he wants to prove he does not need to take performance-enhancing drugs by coming back better than ever.
"I feel 24, 25 years old. I want to show all the people that think Kolo Toure needed tablets, water tablets, to be a better footballer," Toure told City's
official website.
"I just want to show them and that's what I will do.
"I will give 100% in every single game to show those people I don't need water tablets to be a strong man.
"I've been in this league for almost 10 years now, being unbeatable with Arsenal, doing a lot of good games.
"I just want to show them."
Lucky
Toure also admits that his enforced absence from the game gave him time to reflect on his career and he now appreciates more than ever the opportunity to be a professional footballer.
"Sometimes when you come every day to training you can't realise how big it is to be a footballer," added Toure.
"I just realised how much we are lucky to be footballers and be able to play for a football team like City.
"To be able to come back and train with the team, come into the training ground, it's great."
