Liverpool host Arsenal in a blockbuster Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon as the Reds aim to stretch their unbeaten run
Kolo Toure.
Kolo Toure took out three Arsenal legends in one training session(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Kolo Toure once took out Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Arsene Wenger while on trial at Arsenal.
The former defender is expected to have a close eye on this afternoon's Premier League clash between his two former clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal. And he also has some gripping stories to tell about his time with both.
Toure began his career in England with the Gunners and won the league title in 2004. He stepped out at Anfield a decade later and became a fan favourite at Liverpool during his three-year tenure. The ex-Ivory Coast international's first impressions in north London still stand out to this day after he infuriated Wenger with his rash tackling style during training.
Toure, who was a 21-year-old trialist at the time, joined in on a training session with the star-studded Gunners in 2002. He was playing alongside Henry and Bergkamp but his eagerness to impress ended in disaster.
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In John Cross's book dedicated to the ex-Arsenal boss, Ray Parlour told the story of Toure's arrival and how he ignored the rule of taking it easy in practice. The former Premier League midfielder said: "I remember the ball was rolled into Thierry Henry and Kole Toure, from nowhere, smashed into him from behind.
"It was a terrible tackle, a red card in a normal game, and our best player was rolling around. Wenger was shouting: 'Kolo, what are you doing? Don’t tackle!' The next minute, the ball was into Dennis Bergkamp and Kolo did exactly the same... Anyway, Wenger said: 'No more tackling.'
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"So next thing you know, Kolo Toure took him [Wenger] out with a two-footed tackle! All you could hear was Wenger screaming."
Nathaniel Clyne and Kolo Toure of Liverpool during a training session at Melwood Training Ground on April 19, 2016 in Liverpool, England.
The ex-Red was a wild act in training(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Toure confirmed years later that the incident was real and admitted he was "in shock" about his actions. Speaking in 2017, the ex-defender told Arsenal Player: "That definitely happened. It was a game and the manager was outside the game. He was not playing but he was passing the ball to the attacking players.
"The ball was going out and Mr Wenger went to get the ball. When he controlled the ball, instead of just stopping the game, I thought he was playing as well. I kept going and it was a big, big tackle.
"After that, everyone was laughing and joking but I was in shock. I was like, ‘Wow, maybe that will mean I will have to leave the club’. At the end of the day, I think the tackle made him want to keep me. Maybe he saw my desire as a defender from that."