Kolo Toure believes his brother Yaya should come out of international retirement and play a part in the 2018 World Cup for the Ivory Coast.

The Manchester City midfielder announced his retirement from international football in September 2016 after a 12-year career including 102 caps and leading his nation as skipper to an African Nations Cup title in 2015.

"Football is everything to me and it gave me so much in my career that I no longer feel able to set myself new goals as a player with the Elephants of Ivory Coast," the former Barcelona midfielder said following his retirement, as quoted on ESPN.

Now at 33 years of age, Yaya is focused on league football, having claimed in February that he had "five years left in the tank" and was ready for a mentor's role at City.

However, Kolo believes his brother and former teammate can still play for the African side as they look to qualify for their fourth straight World Cup.

"I think Yaya can still play in one more World Cup," the former Arsenal defender told True Africa, as quoted on Goal. "And I hope he will do it because he will make a big big impact for Ivory Coast and he can bring something to the young players who need some influential players on the pitch and outside [help] as well."

Now at Celtic, Kolo is pleased with how his brother's career has progressed over the years with two Premier League titles, a La Liga title and a Champions League title to his name as well.

While the defender was winning the Premier League with Arsenal's Invincibles in 2004, Yaya was playing with the now defunct FC Metalurh Donetsk, but Kolo always maintained that his younger sibling was the better footballer.

"My brother is much better," he added. "He is a midfielder and I am a defender and I am very proud of what he is doing."

"He was once playing for a really low club and I was always talking about him and telling people about him when he was with Donetsk in Ukraine. I always told people he was better than me and now he has proved it and I am very happy for him."