Yakubu (footballer) facts for kids

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Yakubu
Personal information
Yakubu with Guangzhou R&F in 2013
Full name	Yakubu Ayegbeni
Date of birth	(1982-11-22) 22 November 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Benin City, Nigeria
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1994–1997	Gateway
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1997–1998	Julius Berger
1998	→ Gil Vicente (loan)
1998–2003	Maccabi Haifa	49	(38)
1999–2000	→ Hapoel Kfar Saba (loan)	23	(6)
2003	→ Portsmouth (loan)	14	(7)
2003–2005	Portsmouth	67	(28)
2005–2007	Middlesbrough	73	(25)
2007–2011	Everton	82	(25)
2011	→ Leicester City (loan)	20	(11)
2011–2012	Blackburn Rovers	30	(17)
2012–2013	Guangzhou R&F	43	(24)
2014–2015	Al-Rayyan	10	(5)
2015	Reading	7	(0)
2015–2016	Kayserispor	12	(0)
2017	Coventry City	3	(0)
2024	Enfield Town	0	(0)
Total		424	(170)
National team
2000–2012	Nigeria	58	(21)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Yakubu Ayegbeni (born 22 November 1982), known simply as Yakubu, is a Nigerian football agent and former professional footballer. He played as a striker, scoring many goals. People often called him "The Yak". In September 2024, he came out of retirement to sign a short-term deal with Enfield Town. This team plays in the National League South.

Yakubu became well-known for his great performances in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League while playing for Maccabi Haifa. This led to him joining the English club Portsmouth. He played in over 250 Premier League matches for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers. He is one of the top African goalscorers in Premier League history with 96 goals. Yakubu is also the third highest scorer for the Nigeria national football team. He played for Nigeria in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Yakubu's Club Journey
Yakubu's International Career
- 2000 Summer Olympics
- African Cup of Nations and World Cup Appearances
Yakubu's Personal Life
Football Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Yakubu's Club Journey

Starting Out in Football

Yakubu was born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. He began his football career as a teenager with Julius Berger in the Nigeria Premier League. Later, he was loaned to the Portuguese club Gil Vicente.

Playing for Maccabi Haifa

The Israeli team Maccabi Haifa bought Yakubu for $300,000. His best scoring season there was in 2001–02, when he scored 19 goals in 22 league games. He also scored seven goals in eight UEFA Champions League matches in 2002–03. This included three goals in one game against Olympiakos and a penalty goal in a 3–0 win over Manchester United.

Time at Portsmouth

On 6 January 2003, Yakubu moved to the English club Portsmouth on loan. He helped Portsmouth win the First Division title that season, scoring 7 goals in 14 matches. He made his debut on 18 January as a substitute. On 1 February, he scored his first goal for the club. He scored two goals in a game against Derby County and again against Millwall.

In May 2003, Yakubu's move to Portsmouth became permanent for £4 million. He played in 37 of Portsmouth's 38 Premier League games in the 2003–04 season. His 16 goals made him the club's top scorer that year. He scored his first Premier League goal on 23 August 2003 against Manchester City. He also scored four goals in one game against Middlesbrough on the last day of the season.

In the 2004–05 season, he scored 13 goals. His last goal for Portsmouth in May 2005 helped the team avoid being relegated from the Premier League. Yakubu's 28 Premier League goals make him Portsmouth's highest ever scorer in the Premier League.

Moving to Middlesbrough

Yakubu playing for Middlesbrough in 2006

After the 2004–05 season, Yakubu moved from Portsmouth to Middlesbrough for a club record fee of £7.5 million. He scored an important penalty goal in the UEFA Cup against Roma, which helped Middlesbrough advance. He also helped Middlesbrough reach the 2006 UEFA Cup Final against Sevilla, though they lost 4–0.

Playing for Everton

In August 2007, Yakubu joined Everton for £11.25 million, which was a record fee for the club at the time. He chose the number 22 shirt, aiming to score 22 goals in his first season. He scored 11 minutes into his debut against Bolton Wanderers. In December 2007, he scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) for Everton against Fulham.

Yakubu finished his first season with 15 Premier League goals and 21 goals in all competitions for Everton. He became the first Everton player since Peter Beardsley to score 20 goals in a season. In the 2008–09 Premier League season, he scored his 100th goal in English football. He suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury in November, which kept him out for most of the season. He returned almost a year later, scoring against Hull City in the League Cup.

Loan to Leicester City

Yakubu playing for Leicester City in 2011

Yakubu joined Leicester City on loan on 13 January 2011. He scored on his debut against Preston North End. He also scored a great left-footed goal against Derby County. On 2 April 2011, he scored another hat-trick against his former club, Middlesbrough.

Time at Blackburn Rovers

On 31 August 2011, Yakubu signed a three-year contract with Blackburn Rovers. He scored two goals on his Premier League debut for Blackburn against Arsenal, helping Blackburn win 4–3. Fans even started chanting "Feed the Yak and he will score!" He scored all four goals for Blackburn in a 4–2 home win over Swansea City on 3 December 2011. This was his first four-goal game since 2004. He also scored two goals in a surprise 3–2 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In his first season at Blackburn, he scored 18 goals. However, the club was relegated to the Championship.

Playing in China and Qatar

On 28 June 2012, Yakubu left Blackburn and signed with the Chinese team Guangzhou R&F. He made his debut on 15 July and scored the winning goal in the 87th minute. This ended Guangzhou Evergrande's long unbeaten run at home. After his time in China, he played for Al-Rayyan in Qatar from 2014 to 2015.

Later Career in England and Turkey

On 2 February 2015, Yakubu signed with Reading. On 14 February, he scored his first goal for Reading, which was the winning goal in an FA Cup match against Derby County. He was released by Reading in May 2015. On 31 August 2015, Yakubu signed a one-year contract with the Turkish club Kayserispor.

His last club was Coventry City, where he signed on 13 February 2017. He played only three times due to a hamstring injury. His contract was ended on 5 April 2017. Yakubu officially announced his retirement from football on 22 November 2017.

Yakubu's International Career

Yakubu as captain of Nigeria in 2008

Yakubu scored 21 goals in 58 games for Nigeria since his first game in 2000. He is currently the third highest goalscorer for Nigeria's national team.

2000 Summer Olympics

In September 2000, Yakubu was part of Nigeria's team for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. He was 17 years old and wore the number 9 shirt. He scored a goal in Nigeria's first match, a 3–3 draw with Honduras. He also played against Australia. Nigeria reached the quarter-finals but lost to Chile.

African Cup of Nations and World Cup Appearances

Yakubu made his full international debut on 22 April 2000. He scored his first international goal on 16 June 2001 against Namibia. He was part of the squad for the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali, where he scored the only goal in the third-place play-off against Mali. However, he was not selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

He played in the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia. He also played in the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Nigeria did not qualify for the World Cup that year. Yakubu decided not to play in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations to focus on his club form with Middlesbrough.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Yakubu famously missed an open goal against South Korea in the last group game. However, he later scored a penalty to tie the match 2–2. This result was not enough for Nigeria to move past the group stages.

Yakubu's Personal Life

In 2008, Yakubu married Yvonne Lameen Ikhana. Her father, Kadiri Ikhana, was also a famous Nigerian international footballer. Yakubu and Yvonne have two daughters. When he was a child in Benin, Nigeria, he used to play football barefoot until his brother gave him a pair of boots at age 12.