Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Encyclopedia
Yakubu Aiyegbeni generally known simply as Yakubu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 for Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 and the Nigerian national football team. His nickname is "The Yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...

".

Early career

A striker, Yakubu started his career with Julius Berger FC
Julius Berger FC
Bridge Boys FC is a Nigerian football club based in Lagos. It was founded in the mid 1970s by the Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and has won national championships and competed internationally...

 in Lagos as a teenager in the Nigerian Premier League
Nigerian Premier League
The Nigeria Premier League is the highest level of domestic Nigerian football. It is fed into by the two First Division groups: the Nigerian Division 1-A and Nigerian Division 1-B. It is organized by the Nigeria Football Association. The NPL Chairman is Davidson Owunmi.- History :The league was...

. He was later loaned to the Portuguese club Gil Vicente.

Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i team Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...

 paid $300,000 US for his services in 1999. He was loaned to another Israeli Premier League club, Hapoel Kfar Saba
Hapoel Kfar Saba
Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. are an Israeli football club based in Kfar Saba. They are currently in the Israeli Premier League and play at the Levita Stadium.-History:...

, for the 1999-2000 season. They were relegated to the Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...

 after finishing 12th out of 14. Yakubu was close to a move to the UkrainianDynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...

 on a loan but the deal never occurred. During his spell at Maccabi Haifa, he won the Israeli Premier League on two consecutive occasions: 2001-02 and 2002-03. He had an excellent scoring record with the club, both in the domestic and international competitions, breaking several club records. Yakubu's highest scoring season at Haifa was 2001-02, when he scored 13 times in 22 games (the lague season was 33 matches). He came to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and trained with Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 but could not obtain a work permit at the time. He scored seven goals in eight European Cup appearances in the 2002–03 season UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

, (including a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

 against Olympiakos and a penalty in the 3-0 win over Manchester United).

Yakubu moved to English club Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

 of the First Division (now the Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...

) on loan on 6 January 2003. Signed by Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....

, Yakubu helped Portsmouth win the 2002-03 Division 1
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...

 title, scoring at a rate of one goal every two games (7 in 14 matches). He made his debut as a 57th minute substitute for Vincent Pericard
Vincent Péricard
Vincent de Paul Péricard is a French professional football player, who played in France with Saint Etienne and in Italy with Juventus before moving to England. In England he has played for several clubs. He has also played for the France U21 team...

 in a 1-1 away match versus Brighton & Hove Albion on 18 January. On 1 February he started for the first time and scored after 4 minutes at home to Grimsby Town. The match ended 3-0 with Yakubu substituted for Pericard after 89 minutes. Seven days later, Yakubu scored a goal in each half of a 6-2 victory over Derby County for his first brace in English football. He gained his second brace of the season with two first-half goals in a 5-0 away victory at Millwall
Millwall
Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the developments at West India Docks, including Canary Wharf.-History:...

 on 1 March.

Portsmouth

Yakubu made his loan spell at Portsmouth permanent in May 2003 for a fee of £4 million. He played 37 of Portsmouth's 38 Premier League matches in 2003-04, starting all but two. Yakubu's 16 goals made him the club's leading goal-scorer, and joint-sixth highest scorer in the entire league .

Yakubu scored his first Premier League goal in his second match, opening a 1-1 draw versus Manchester City on 23 August 2003. After eight consecutive league matches without a goal, he scored a brace in a Carling Cup match away to Nottingham Forest on 29 October, one of which was in extra time of the 4-2 win. After one more Premier League match without a goal, Yakubu scored the final goal of a 6-1 home win over Leeds United on 8 November. For the next seven league matches and a Carling Cup defeat to Portsmouth's local rivals Southampton FC, Yakubu did not score a goal. This run ended on 3 January 2004 as he scored an 89th minute winner in the FA Cup third round match at home to Blackpool. Three days later he scored an equaliser in the Premier League as Portsmouth lost 2-1 away to Aston Villa. On 10 January he scored his first Premier League brace with two goals in the second half of a 4-2 home win over Manchester City .

He scored four in a single game as Portsmouth defeated Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 5–1 on the final day of the season. During the summer of 2004, several other Premiership teams were interested in purchasing Yakubu for up to £10 million, but he chose to stay and help consolidate the club's Premiership position. His final goal for Portsmouth in May 2005 before he left the club — the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 in the penulitimate league game of the season — was the goal that ensured Portsmouth would not be relegated from Premiership in the 2004–05 season.

Middlesbrough

After the 2004–05 season, he transferred from Portsmouth to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 for a £7.5 million fee. Yakubu scored the only goal of the game with a penalty in the first leg of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 last 16 round at home against Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...

, giving Middlesbrough a 1–0 victory, who later went through on away goals. His performances were rewarded, as he helped Middlesbrough reach the 2006 UEFA Cup Final
2006 UEFA Cup Final
The 2006 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place at Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, on 10 May 2006. The match was contested by Middlesbrough of England and Sevilla of Spain. Sevilla won the UEFA Cup with a 4–0 win.-Match details:...

 against Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...

, in which they lost 4-0.

His transfer from Portsmouth to Middlesbrough in July 2005 is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pinhas Zahavi and Barry Silkman
Barry Silkman
Barry Silkman, is an English former footballer who had a brief spell in midfield at Manchester City in 1979 and a longer one at Leyton Orient .-Playing career:...

.

Everton

Yakubu was transferred to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 in August 2007 for a fee of £11.25 million on a five-year deal. Shunning the traditional centre-forwards' number 9, Yakubu asked to be assigned number 22, setting this number as a goal-scoring target for his first season, a feat he fell one goal short of achieving. He scored 11 minutes into his debut for the club, the first goal in a 2–1 win against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 at Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...

 in September 2007. His first "yak"-trick came against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

 in a 3–0 home league win in December 2007.
Yakubu travelled to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

 in early 2008 to compete in the Cup of Nations. Following Nigeria's exit from the competition, he was late in returning to his club, and as a result was dropped by manager David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 once back in England. His double against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 in a 3–1 win at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 on the last day of the 2007–08 season helped the Toffees clinch fifth place and a place in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup competition. He finished his first season with 15 Premier League goals to his name, and 21 goals in all competitions for Everton. Yakubu got his highest goal tally for a single season, and also became the first Everton player since Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...

 to net 20 goals in a season.

Yakubu scored his 100th goal in English football in a league game at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

 early in the Premier League 2008–09
Premier League 2008–09
The 2008–09 Premier League season was the seventeenth since its establishment in 1992. Manchester United became champions for the eleventh time on the penultimate weekend of the season, defending their crown after winning their tenth Premier League title on the final day of the previous season...

 season. He continued his great start to the season with a goal against Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....

 in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

. He got back on the scoresheet with a lucky, but clever, goal against Middlesbrough, his first goal in 10 games, but ruptured his achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...

 in the 1–0 away win at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 on 30 November, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Yakubu played his first competitive game after the achilles tendon injury against Burnley Reserves
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

, and in his first start for the first team in almost a year, he scored within 11 minutes against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

 in the Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 with a typically cool-headed finish. He came on for
Jo
JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

 in first-half injury time and scored an equaliser with his first touch to bring Everton level at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

 against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

. Then he scored the winning goal against Stoke. Everton fans showed their love for their striker by giving him the chant "Feed the Yak and he will score", this was also a light hearted jibe at Yakubu's weight.

Leicester City (loan)

Yakubu joined Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 on loan until the end of the season on 13 January 2011, with the possibility of a permanent deal. He made his debut and scored in a 1–1 draw against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

 on 15 January 2011, followed by another goal in a 4–2 win over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 on 22 January.

On 12 February 2011 he scored a left footed volley in their 2–0 win over local rivals Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

. On 2 April 2011, he scored his first hat-trick against his former club Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

. He then scored a double in Leicester's 4–2 win over Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

.

Blackburn Rovers

On 31 August 2011, Yakubu signed a three-year deal with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 for an undisclosed fee and was assigned the number 24 shirt by manager Steve Kean
Steve Kean
Stephen "Steve" Kean is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.-Playing career:...

. He scored his first and second goals for Blackburn Rovers on 17th September on his Premier League debut against Arsenal in which Blackburn won 4-3. He was voted Man of the Match as he helped Blackburn to their first win of the season, with Blackburn fans chanting "Feed the Yak and he will score!" by the time the final whistle blew. He scored his third goal in the league in the 3-3 away draw against Norwich City. Yakubu's fourth and fifth goals of the league season came in an away 3-3 draw at Wigan Athletic on 19 November 2011. He opened the scoring from long range after 65 seconds and equalised with an injury-time penalty after a high-foot foul on his goalkeeper Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...

, who had come up for a corner . He had earlier been behind an incident when Blackburn were 2-1 down, by dummying a short corner to allow team-mate Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers and the Norway national football team.-Tromsø IL:...

 to dribble the ball from the corner and cross for Junior Hoilett to equalise the game 2-2. At the end of the game Yakubu admitted that he did not touch the ball and that the goal should not have stood.

International career

Yakubu has scored 21 goals in his 57 appearances for Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...

 since his 2000 debut. He is currently the third highest ever international goalscorer for Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...

.

2000 Olympic Games

In September 2000, Yakubu featured in Nigeria's squad for football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...

 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Nigeria were the holders for the tournament. Then of Maccabi Haifa, the 17-year old Yakubu wore the number 9 shirt. He scored the injury-time equaliser in Nigeria's first match, a 3-3 draw with Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...

 on 13 September in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

. He also played against the hosts Australia on 16 September in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 as his side won 3-2 but did not play on 19 September as they drew with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 in Adelaide. He featured in the quarter-finals as Nigeria lost 4-1 to Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 on 23 September.

2002 African Cup of Nations and 2002 FIFA World Cup

Yakubu made his full international debut on 22 April 2000 in a 4-0 home win in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

 against Eritrea
Eritrea national football team
The Eritrea national football team is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation . It is nicknamed the Red Sea Boys. It has not qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the African Nations Cup...

 in qualification for the 2002 African Cup of Nations . He scored his first international goal in an away win against Namibia on 16 June 2001 in the same qualification campaign. On 1 July 2001, he scored his first international brace, with the second and fourth goals in a 4-0 away win over Sudan
Sudan national football team
The Sudan national football team represents Sudan in association football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Sudan's home ground is Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman and their head coach is Mohammed Abdullah Mazda...

 in 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 qualification. He was named in the squad for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

 and was given the number 8 shirt by manager Shaibu Amodu
Shaibu Amodu
Shaibu Amodu is a Nigerian football manager who was appointed Head Coach of the Nigerian national side in April 2008.-Coaching career:He previously managed Nigeria from April 2001 to February 2002....

. On 9 February 2002, Yakubu scored the only goal of the third-place play-off against Mali
Mali national football team
The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles , is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.-History:...

 after 29 minutes. However, Yakubu was not named later in the year in the squad selected by new manager Festus Onigbinde
Festus Onigbinde
Festus Adegboye Onigbinde is a Nigerian football manager. He coached Nigeria national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, an achievement he had already gotten, between 1982 and 1984. In 1984, Mr. Onigbinde took Nigeria into the final match of the 1984 Africa Nations Cup. Nigeria lost 1-3 to Cameroun...

 for the 2002 World Cup in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

2004 African Cup of Nations

On 7 June 2003, Yakubu scored Nigeria's first two goals as they came from behind to beat Malawi
Malawi national football team
The Malawi national football team, nicknamed The Flames, is the national team of Malawi and is controlled by the Football Association of Malawi. Before 1966 they were known as the Nyasaland national football team...

 4-1 in a qualifier for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He retained the number 8 shirt in the squad named for the finals in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 by manager Christian Chukwu
Christian Chukwu
Christian Chukwu Okoro is a Nigerian football former player and current coach. A defender in his playing days, he captained the Nigeria national team to its first win in the African Nations Cup.-Playing career:...

 but did not score.

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Yakubu scored the final goal in an away 3-0 victory over Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe national football team
The Zimbabwe national football team, nicknamed The Warriors, is the national team of Zimbabwe and is controlled by the Zimbabwe Football Association. They were known as the Southern Rhodesia national football team from 1939–1964, then the Rhodesia national football team until 1980, when Rhodesia...

 and an equaliser in an away 1-1 draw against Gabon
Gabon national football team
The Gabon national football team, nicknamed Azingo Nationale, is the national team of Gabon and is controlled by the Fédération Gabonaise de Football...

 as Nigeria were beaten to the qualification place by Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...

 and missed the finals for the first time since 1990. Despite having a goal difference superior by +14 to +8, Nigeria did not qualify as the tie-break was on head-to-head between Nigeria and Angola.

Decision against 2006 African Cup of Nations

Although Nigeria gained a place at the tournament due to their performance in World Cup qualification, Yakubu decided not to play at the 2006 African Cup of Nations
2006 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter-finals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Third-place play-off:-Final:-Scorers:...

 to concentrate on his form at Middlesbrough instead. He praised his decision as the club won holding champions and league leaders Chelsea FC 3-0 .

2010 FIFA World Cup

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Yakubu notably missed an open goal from three metres against South Korea in the last Group game but later went on to score a penalty. Yakubu's penalty made sure that Nigeria earned a 2-2 draw, but this was not enough for his side to progress out of the group stages.

International goals

Scores and results table. Nigeria's goal tally first:


Personal life

In 2008 Yakubu married Yvonne Lameen Ikhana, the daughter of former Nigerian international football player Kadiri Ikhana
Kadiri Ikhana
Kadiri Ikhana is a Nigerian football coach. He resigned from his position at Kano Pillars on 27 May 2008, citing corruption in the game. He had led Kano Pillars to their first ever league title a day earlier...

 who is also the father in law to former Nigerian international football player Patrick Ovie
Patrick Ovie
Patrick Ovie is a former Nigerian football defender last playing for FC Lokomotiv Astana in the Kazakhstan Premier League since 2009.- Career :...

 Yakubu and Yvonne have a daughter Kayla.

Club

|-
|1999-00||Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...

||rowspan="5"|Israeli Premier League||||||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999-00|||Hapoel Kfar Saba (Loan)||23||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="3"|Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...

||14||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||22||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||13||8||||||||||||||||
|-
!colspan="3"|Israel Total
!72!!30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

|-
|2002–03
The Football League 2002-03
The 2002–2003 season was the 103rd completed season of The Football League.-Football League First Division:Portsmouth won the First Division by some distance, passing manager Harry Redknapp’s old club, West Ham on the way down. Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as...

||rowspan="3"|Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

||14||7||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||7
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...

||rowspan="2"|Premier League||37||16||4||1||2||2||colspan="2"|-||43||19
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....

||30||13||2||2||3||2||colspan="2"|-||35||17
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...

||rowspan="3"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

||rowspan="3"|Premier League||34||13||7||4||2||0||13||2||56||19
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....

||37||12||8||4||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||45||16
|-
|rowspan="2"|2007–08||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|rowspan="4"|Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

||rowspan="4"|Premier League||29||15||1||0||3||3||6||3||39||21
|-
|2008–09||14||4||0||0||1||0||2||1||17||5
|-
|2009–10||25||5||0||0||2||1||9||0||36||6
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...

||14||1||0||0||1||0||0||0||15||1
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League Championship
The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format...

||rowspan="1"|Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

||20||11||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||20||11
|-
|2011–12||rowspan="1"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

||rowspan="1"|Premier League||7||5||0||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||9||6
263||102||22||11||15||9||30||6||330||128
335||132||22||11||15||9||30||6||402||158

Maccabi Haifa

  • Israeli Premier League :
    • Winner: 2000–01, 2001–02

  • Toto Cup
    Toto Cup
    The Toto Cup is an association football tournament that exists separately in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Premier League and Liga Leumit....

     :
    • Winner: 2002

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK