Yaya Touré has etched his name into Champions League history, becoming the first African coach to guide a club into the competition’s league phase.

The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder, now in charge of Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava, secured the milestone after his team edged past Slovenian outfit Celje 2-1 in extra time during Wednesday’s play-off clash.

The victory handed Slovan a 3-2 aggregate win over the two legs, sealing their place among the 36 clubs set to feature in Thursday’s league-phase draw.

It marks a remarkable start to Touré’s coaching career.

The Ivorian only took charge of Slovan in July, signing a three-year deal, with this campaign representing his first job as a head coach at any level.

To immediately deliver European qualification in such fashion underlines the impact he has had since arriving at the club.

Touré’s achievement builds on a path first walked by Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who in 2020 became the first African to manage a side in the Champions League proper when he took charge of Albanian club KF Tirana.

However, Egbo’s side fell short of reaching the league phase at the time, meaning Touré now holds the distinction of being the first African tactician to take his team all the way through to that stage.

The result adds another layer to Touré’s transition from decorated player to coach, and will be seen as a significant marker for African representation in European football’s technical and coaching ranks, an area that remains heavily underrepresented at the continent’s top club competitions.