Joseph Yobo facts for kids
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Yobo playing for Fenerbahçe in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Michael Yobo | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 September 1980 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kono, Rivers State, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Michellin-Harcourt | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Standard Liège | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Standard Liège | 46 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Marseille | 23 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | → Tenerife (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | → Everton (loan) | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2012 | Everton | 196 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | → Fenerbahçe (loan) | 69 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Fenerbahçe | 21 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Norwich City (loan) | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 387 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2014 | Nigeria | 101 | (7) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Joseph Michael Yobo is a famous Nigerian former footballer. He was born on September 6, 1980. Yobo played as a centre back, which is a defensive position in football.
He was the captain of the Nigerian national team, known as the Super Eagles. He retired from playing for his country in June 2014. Joseph Yobo holds the record for the most appearances for Nigeria. In February 2020, he became an assistant coach for the Super Eagles.
Contents
Early Football Journey
Joseph Yobo was born in Kono, a community in Rivers State, Nigeria. This is where his family comes from.
He left Nigeria in 1998 to join a football club called Standard Liège in Belgium. He started playing for their main team in 2000. He played 46 games for them. In 2001, another club, Marseille, bought him.
Playing for Clubs
Time at Everton
After joining Marseille, Yobo was loaned to a club called Tenerife. After about nine months, he returned to Marseille. Then, in July 2002, he joined Everton on loan. Everton paid £1 million to have him play for them. He was the first player signed by manager David Moyes.
In 2003, Everton made his move permanent for an extra £4 million. Yobo became a very reliable player for Everton. He was one of only seven players in the league to play every minute of every game during the 2006–07 season.
In 2006, there were rumors that Yobo might move to Arsenal. However, he decided to stay with Everton until 2010. On April 15, 2007, Yobo became the player with the most appearances for Everton who was from another country. He held this record until 2012.
He even became captain for a UEFA Cup match in 2007. This made him the first African player to captain the club. In May 2009, Yobo scored his first goal of the season. This helped Everton win a game 3–1 against West Ham United.
Moving to Fenerbahçe
On August 31, 2010, Yobo signed a one-year loan deal with Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He played 30 official matches and scored one goal. He helped his team win the league title.
Fenerbahçe and Everton agreed on another loan deal for Yobo in September 2011. He signed a new contract with Fenerbahçe. On August 4, 2012, he joined Fenerbahçe permanently on a three-year contract. He had played for Everton for 10 years before this. In August, he scored a goal in a match against Torku Konyaspor. His contract with Fenerbahçe ended in August 2014.
Loan to Norwich City
On January 30, 2014, Yobo returned to England. He joined Norwich City on loan for the rest of the season. He hoped to make the move permanent later.
He played his first game for Norwich City on February 8. His team kept a clean sheet, meaning the other team, Manchester City, did not score any goals.
Playing for Nigeria
Joseph Yobo played for the Nigerian national team, also known as the Super Eagles. He played 101 games for his country. He played in three FIFA World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Yobo first played for Nigeria's senior team on March 24, 2001. This was a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in all six of Nigeria's matches in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also in the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in every game there too.
He played in his second World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. After this tournament, he became the captain of the Nigerian team. This happened when Nwankwo Kanu retired from international football. Yobo was not a regular starter at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. However, he came on as a substitute in the final game. Nigeria won the trophy by beating Burkina Faso 1–0.
In June 2014, Yobo was part of Nigeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in the second and third group matches. He helped the Super Eagles keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. On June 30, he played his 100th international game. He was the captain against France in the round of 16. After this game, Yobo announced his retirement from international football. He said he was proud of his career and wanted to give others a chance.
Coaching Career
On February 12, 2020, Joseph Yobo was chosen as an assistant coach for the Super Eagles. The Nigeria Football Federation appointed him after a meeting in Abuja. He took over from Imama Amapakabo.
Yobo said he wanted to bring motivation and inspiration to the team. He mentioned that he had been a player for over 15 years. He also said he had been a fan and a football expert after retiring. He believes his experience will help the team improve.
Personal Life
In 2010, Joseph Yobo married Adaeze Igwe, who was a former beauty queen (MBGN). They had a son named Joey Yobo in April 2010.
Joseph Yobo is the younger brother of Albert Yobo, who also played football for Nigeria. In July 2008, Joseph's younger brother, Norum, was kidnapped in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He was held for 12 days before being released on July 17, 2008.
In May 2016, Joseph Yobo and his wife, Adaeze Igwe, were given special chieftaincy titles. They became Mene Aborlo 1 and Waamene Aborlo 1 of Ogoniland. This happened the day after a special match was held to celebrate his retirement from football.
Helping Others
In 2007, Joseph Yobo started the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation. This foundation helps children in Nigeria who are not as lucky. By July 2007, he had given over 300 scholarships. These scholarships helped children from primary school all the way to university.
Yobo also started a football academy in the Ogoni area of Nigeria. He also organizes football camps in Lagos to help young players.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Standard Liège | 2000–01 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 2 | – | – | 30 | 2 | ||||
| Olympique Marseille | 2001–02 | Division 1 | 23 | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | |||||
| Everton (loan) | 2002–03 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 26 | 0 | |
| Everton | 2003–04 | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 31 | 2 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 2 | |
| Total | 196 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 233 | 10 | ||
| Fenerbahçe (loan) | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 39 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 1 | |||
| Total | 69 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 2 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2012–13 | Süper Lig | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
| Norwich City (loan) | 2013–14 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 371 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 437 | 15 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2001 | 7 | 0 |
| 2002 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 101 | 7 |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 June 2003 | Lagos National Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria |  Cameroon |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 31 January 2004 | Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia |  South Africa |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2004 African Cup of Nations |
| 3. | 3 July 2004 | Abuja Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Algeria |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 7 June 2008 | National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone |  Sierra Leone |
0–1 | 0–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 15 June 2008 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Equatorial Guinea |
0–1 | 0–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 5 June 2011 | Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |  Ethiopia |
2–2 | 2–2 | 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7. | 4 September 2011 | Mahamasina Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar |  Madagascar |
0–1 | 0–2 | 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification |
Awards and Honours
Fenerbahce
- Süper Lig: 2010–11
- Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13
Nigeria
Orders
Officer of the Order of the Niger
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Yobo para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
