Yakubu

Nigerian association football player (born 1982)

Nigeria Forward

43Age

58Int'l caps

21Int'l goals

14Clubs

433Club apps

172Club goals

183Height (cm)

Yakubu: profile

Yakubu (born 22 November 1982 in Benin City, Nigeria) is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a forward.

Yakubu made the step into senior football with Bridge F.C. in 1997. He played for 14 clubs in 7 countries between 1997 and 2017. The busiest spell of his career was at Everton F.C. (2007–2011): 82 appearances and 25 goals. Across all recorded club spells he totals 433 appearances and 172 goals.

At international level, Yakubu represented Nigeria (2000–2012), earning 58 caps and scoring 21 goals. Our match database lists 11 of his international goals; the first came against Sudan on 1 July 2001 (World Cup Qualification).

Benin City has produced 42 footballers in our database, including Victor Ikpeba, Julius Aghahowa and Elderson Echiéjilé.

Key facts

Senior international debut: 2000 (aged about 18)
First international goal: 2001 – aged 18 (match)
Club career: 1997–2017 (21 seasons)
Countries played in: 7: Nigeria, Portugal, Israel, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Qatar and Turkey
Club goals per game: 0.40 (172 in 433)
Height: 183 cm — taller than 64% of Nigerian internationals on record
Latest move: Coventry City F.C. (2017)
Shares a birthday with: Asamoah Gyan, Kara Mbodji and Dieumerci Mbokani (more)

Club career

Years	Club	League	Apps	Goals
1997–1998	Bridge F.C.	Nigeria Premier Football League	–	–
1998	Gil Vicente F.C.	Primeira Liga	–	–
1998–2003	Maccabi Haifa F.C.	Israeli Premier League	49	24
1999–2000	Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.	Liga Leumit	23	6
2003	Portsmouth F.C.	EFL Championship	14	7
2003–2005	Portsmouth F.C.	EFL Championship	67	28
2005–2007	Middlesbrough F.C.	EFL Championship	73	25
2007–2011	Everton F.C.	Premier League	82	25
2011	Leicester City F.C.	EFL League One	20	11
2011–2012	Blackburn Rovers F.C.	EFL Championship	30	17
2012–2013	Guangzhou City F.C.	Chinese Super League	43	24
2014–2015	Al-Rayyan	Qatar Stars League	10	5
2015	Reading F.C.	EFL League One	7	0
2015–2016	Kayserispor	TFF First League	12	0
2017	Coventry City F.C.	Premier League	3	0
	Total		433	172

Appearances and goals are league figures where recorded on Wikidata; “–” means not recorded.

International career

Years	Team	Level	Caps	Goals
2000–2012	Nigeria	Senior	58	21

International goals (11)

#	Date	Match	Min	Competition
1	1 Jul 2001	Sudan 0–4 Nigeria	47	World Cup Qualification
2	1 Jul 2001	Sudan 0–4 Nigeria	87	World Cup Qualification
3	9 Feb 2002	Mali 0–1 Nigeria	29	Africa Cup of Nations
4	5 Sep 2004	Zimbabwe 0–3 Nigeria	48 (pen)	World Cup Qualification
5	9 Oct 2004	Gabon 1–1 Nigeria	50	World Cup Qualification
6	29 Jan 2008	Nigeria 2–0 Benin	86	Africa Cup of Nations
7	3 Feb 2008	Ghana 2–1 Nigeria	35 (pen)	Africa Cup of Nations
8	21 Jun 2008	Nigeria 2–0 Equatorial Guinea	45	World Cup Qualification
9	14 Nov 2009	Kenya 2–3 Nigeria	64	World Cup Qualification
10	16 Jan 2010	Nigeria 1–0 Benin	42 (pen)	Africa Cup of Nations
11	22 Jun 2010	Nigeria 2–2 South Korea	69 (pen)	FIFA World Cup

*Goals listed are those present in our match-by-match goal database, which is most complete for tournament matches.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Yakubu?

Yakubu was born on 22 November 1982, which makes him 43 years old.

Where was Yakubu born?

Yakubu was born in Benin City, Nigeria.

Which national team does Yakubu play for?

Yakubu played international football for Nigeria. He has 58 caps and 21 goals on record.

Which clubs has Yakubu played for?

Yakubu's recorded clubs are Bridge F.C., Gil Vicente F.C., Maccabi Haifa F.C., Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C., Portsmouth F.C., Middlesbrough F.C., Everton F.C., Leicester City F.C., Blackburn Rovers F.C., Guangzhou City F.C., Al-Rayyan and Reading F.C. among others.

How tall is Yakubu?

Yakubu is 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) tall.

What position does Yakubu play?

Yakubu played as a forward.