Controversy will divide the Manchester City support this season as turbulent midfielder Yaya Toure tries to forget a frantic summer transfer saga and return to the club fold.
They used to chant his name in football stadiums across the UK and Europe, but now City fans will have to decide whether to open their arms to the player or shun him from their history.
Toure leaves little doubt over his ability to win football matches and he was a key member of their double winning side last year, completing 2,502 passes over the campaign, more than any other player.
But it’s difficult to be remembered as a club legend after criticising the hierarchy for not giving you a birthday cake, handing the world a knife to cut into the Blues throughout the World Cup.
Winning trophies might be the icing on an otherwise bitter spat, but just how sweet will the Man City fans be towards Toure when the season kicks off later this month?
Many have drawn comparisons to the equally controversial Carlos Tevez who helped bring silverware to the trophy room for the first time in 35 years and then dragged his team through another long drawn transfer episode.
Some sympathise with Toure because his brother tragically passed away after losing a battle to cancer and naturally that is likely to play on your mind.
But it was his agent who first created the stir in May by claiming: “There are a number of things that have happened that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset. City have treated him with disrespect and have really hurt him.
“What happened at his birthday meant the club don’t care about him. It was proof. They can say whatever they want, ‘Oh we like him, but we forgot.’ None of them shook his hand on his birthday. It’s really sick.”
What was surprising, was the volatile reactions the midfielder had towards the situation, taking to Twitter to reject and then accept the comments.
“Thanks for all the birthday messages today,” he told his followers. “Card from City just arrived. Must have got lost in the post. Haha.”
“Jokes aside, please do not take words that do not come out of MY mouth seriously. Judge my commitment to MCFC by my performances.”
Less than one hour later he seemed to have a complete change of mind and dramatically support the comments, throwing his future into doubt.
“My agent was trying to make a point here on my behalf. Everything Dimitry said is true. He speaks for me. I will give an interview after the World Cup to explain.”
But it didn’t end there and Toure changed his mind again after the World Cup by declaring his loyalty to the club in an interview on the official website.
Toure stated: “I will stay at Man City for as long as possible. This year is going to be a fantastic season.
“I hope we get a few good signings and we have the important players staying here as well. It’s important to have this shape, it’s important to have these players who have this experience.”
Now if this isn’t an example of just how much a football player can get away with, then Toure could be forgiven for not liking the taste of cake after all.
It only took him two months but Toure finally decided to commit to the team that pays his wages, putting an end to the embarrassment over the summer.
If anything has been learnt from the saga, it can only be that loyalty still means very little in the footballing sphere.
However, there could be a route to reconciliation for the player if he manages to bring more success to City.
The club have recently let their eyes feast at the biggest prize of them all: Champions League glory, and he will almost certainly be part of any master plan to bring the cup to east Manchester.
In complete contrast, players such as Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, who have simply carried on with the job without fuss, look set in stone to be remembered as legends for ages to come.
But their naughty midfielder from Ivory Coast has a lot of work to do to achieve the same feat. It’s make or break time for this Blue’s career.
Main image courtesy of Manchester City FC via YouTube, with thanks.
