Yaya Toure has said that he does not get enough recognition in the media because he is from Africa.
The Manchester City midfielder's teammate Samir Nasri recently claimed on Twitter that the Ivorian would be considered one of the world's best footballers were he not from the continent.
The three-time African Footballer of the Year told BBC World News: "I think what Samir was saying was definitely true. To be honest, proper recognition has only come from the fans. I don't want to be hard and I don't want to be negative, but I want to be honest.
"If [African players] play well and we don't have the recognition from the media, we are not going to be where we want to be. I am very proud to be African, I want to defend African people and I want to show to the world that African players can be as good as the Europeans and South Americans.
"If you go to any part of Africa now, people will say, 'yes, we know [Lionel Messi]', but when you come to Europe and say 'Yaya Toure' people will say, 'who is that?' Some will say they know my name but not know my face. But they will know Messi's face."
Toure is one of six players shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award.
Sian Cowper
