Yaya Toure considering leaving Manchester City over birthday snub, claims his agent

Yaya Toure just wanted to be acknowledged on his birthday. Is that so much to ask?

According to various reports stemming from comments made by Toure's agent, the domineering midfielder is considering leaving the club this summer because he feels disrespected.

What could possibly have been bad enough to give him such a strong desire to move elsewhere? Well, you see, nobody wished him a happy birthday at a recent club event in Abu Dhabi.

The horror.

Toure's agent - or advisor, or shady contract negotiator depending on who you ask - Dimitry Seluk relayed his complaint to The Sun.

Note: This is the same agent that conjured up controversy in the midst of Toure's contract negotiations last year, presumably as a means to coax more money out of City's uber-rich owners. It worked. Less than a month later the Ivorian signed a lucrative four-year deal. Coincidence?

The Guardian has the details: 

Yaya is so upset he's thinking of leaving City. There are a number of things that have happened that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset. He must concentrate on the World Cup now. But City have treated him with disrespect and have really hurt him.

They don't know that money can't buy relationships – no Sheikh can buy a relationship. This isn't about money or a new contract – it's about human relationships and City have shown they don't respect him. I repeat, this is not about money. In fact, he would take less to return to Barcelona.

Seluk continues:

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'.

Forgot? About Yaya? The player who helped you to be two-times Premier League champions? The guy who helped you win the FA Cup and the League Cup? His birthday can be on a normal day and, in a normal team, his team-mates and club would at least give him good wishes. But when you win the title on May 11, a day later you go to Abu Dhabi and on May 13 you have a big party to celebrate the title and nobody comes to Yaya to say, 'Happy birthday', what more do you want?

Toure took to his Twitter account Tuesday to resolve the issue:

Good, that's settled then, right? Not exactly.

Once again prefacing his statement with "jokes aside," Toure added this veiled nugget that has thrown the entire situation into limbo:

What a mess.