# Yakubu (footballer)
**Yakubu Aiyegbeni** (born 1982 in [Benin City](https://www.edgepedia.org/benin-city), Nigeria), known as **Yakubu** and nicknamed "The Yak", is a Nigerian retired footballer who played as a center-forward, chiefly in the English Premier League, where he made 252 appearances and scored 95 goals for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers between 2003 and 2012.[1](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/13239/yakubu/stats) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/yakubu/profil/spieler/8559)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Benin City, Nigeria; position center-forward, right-footed, about 1.83 m tall[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/yakubu/profil/spieler/8559) • [3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) |
| Premier League record | 252 appearances, 95 goals, 26 assists over 9 seasons[1](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/13239/yakubu/stats) |
| Main clubs | Maccabi Haifa (1999–2003), Portsmouth (2003–2005), Middlesbrough (2005–2007), Everton (2007–2011), Blackburn Rovers (2011–2012)[4](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/9909-yakubu-aiyegbeni) |
| Hat-tricks | Four Premier League hat-tricks, the record among African players in the competition[5](https://www.thevaluechainng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/VALUECHAIN-MARCH-2021-c.pdf) |
| International career | Nigeria from 2000; member of the squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) • [6](https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2010/PDF_BackUp_2010_06_13/FWC_2010_SquadLists.pdf) |
| Later clubs | Guangzhou R&F (2012–2013), Al-Rayyan (2014), Reading (2014–2015), Kayserispor (2015–2016), Coventry City (2017)[4](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/9909-yakubu-aiyegbeni) |
## Early career and Israel
Yakubu began in Nigerian football with Okomo Oil and then Julius Berger before moving abroad in 1999.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) His route to England ran through Israel: he had spells with Hapoel Kfar Saba and Maccabi Haifa, with a period in Portugal at [Gil Vicente](https://www.edgepedia.org/gil-vicente), and he appeared for Haifa in the [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league), including the 2002–03 group stage against Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) • [4](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/9909-yakubu-aiyegbeni)
## Portsmouth and Middlesbrough
Yakubu joined Portsmouth, initially on loan in January 2003 and permanently that April, and helped the club reach the Premier League.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) In 67 Premier League appearances for [Portsmouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/portsmouth) he scored 28 goals, and his contract was extended to June 2007 in August 2004.[7](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2367391/opta-jury-yakubu-aiyegbeni) • [3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) [Middlesbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/middlesbrough) instead signed him in July 2005 for £7.5 million, with manager [Steve McClaren](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-mcclaren) hoping the former Maccabi Haifa striker could lead an assault on the upper reaches of the table.[8](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/6798/yakubu-aiyegbeni) • [7](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2367391/opta-jury-yakubu-aiyegbeni)
His finishing improved at Middlesbrough. In 2005–06 he scored 13 goals in 24 league games, his minutes-per-goal rate falling from 199.9 at Portsmouth to 144.8, his shooting accuracy rising from 47% to 64%, and his chance conversion rate almost doubling from 18% to 33%; he also supplied four assists in those 24 games compared with six in 67 at Portsmouth.[7](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2367391/opta-jury-yakubu-aiyegbeni) His first Boro goal came against Arsenal, from a ricochet off [Kolo Touré](https://www.edgepedia.org/kolo-toure).[9](https://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2005/09/11/050912_sp_fullbook.pdf)
## Everton
Yakubu joined Everton in August 2007 on a five-year contract, and in his first season he scored 15 Premier League goals in 26 appearances plus three in the UEFA Cup.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) Across four seasons at Everton he made 99 league appearances and scored 29 goals, with a loan spell at Leicester City in the first half of 2011 during which he scored 11 goals in 19 Championship games.[10](https://fbref.com/en/players/a1fe3f62/all_comps/Yakubu-Aiyegbeni-Stats---All-Competitions) • [3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/)
## Blackburn and later career
A move to Blackburn Rovers followed on 31 August 2011, and in the [2011–12 Premier League](https://www.edgepedia.org/2011-12-premier-league) season he scored 17 goals in 29 league appearances, his best single-season return in the competition.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) • [10](https://fbref.com/en/players/a1fe3f62/all_comps/Yakubu-Aiyegbeni-Stats---All-Competitions) He then played in China with Guangzhou R&F, in Qatar with Al-Rayyan, back in England with Reading, in Turkey with [Kayserispor](https://www.edgepedia.org/kayserispor), and finally at Coventry City in League One, where a short contract from February 2017 was canceled in April 2017.[4](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/9909-yakubu-aiyegbeni) • [3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/)
## Nigeria
Yakubu won his first full cap in April 2000, coming on as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Eritrea, and was a member of Nigeria's squad at the Sydney Olympics, where he scored in the 3–3 draw with Honduras.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) He appeared in [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations) tournaments and World Cup qualifying campaigns through the 2000s and was named in Nigeria's squad for the 2010 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) in South Africa, listed as a forward with Everton and wearing shirt number 8.[3](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/) • [6](https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2010/PDF_BackUp_2010_06_13/FWC_2010_SquadLists.pdf)
## Scoring record
The Premier League's official records credit Yakubu with 95 goals and 26 assists in 252 appearances,[1](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/13239/yakubu/stats) while the FBref database records 96 goals in the same number of appearances.[10](https://fbref.com/en/players/a1fe3f62/all_comps/Yakubu-Aiyegbeni-Stats---All-Competitions) When Mohamed Salah scored his 96th Premier League goal in January 2021, he passed Yakubu, who had scored 95 in 252 appearances; at that point Salah became the third-highest scoring African player in the competition behind [Emmanuel Adebayor](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmanuel-adebayor) (97) and [Didier Drogba](https://www.edgepedia.org/didier-drogba) (104).[11](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/liverpool-star-salah-overtakes-nigeria-legend-yakubu-in-premier-league-goalscoring-chart/1nddkn6sy40ti1jtccan6a6pqy) Yakubu's four [Premier League hat-tricks](https://www.edgepedia.org/list-of-premier-league-hat-tricks) remain the record total for an African player in the league.[5](https://www.thevaluechainng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/VALUECHAIN-MARCH-2021-c.pdf)
## References
1. [Yakubu Stats This Season & Career Statistics, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/13239/yakubu/stats)
2. [Yakubu – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/yakubu/profil/spieler/8559)
3. [Yakubu Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/yakubu-15615/)
4. [Yakubu Aiyegbeni, PlayerHistory](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/9909-yakubu-aiyegbeni)
5. [VALUECHAIN, March 2021](https://www.thevaluechainng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/VALUECHAIN-MARCH-2021-c.pdf)
6. [FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 List of Players, Nigeria](https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2010/PDF_BackUp_2010_06_13/FWC_2010_SquadLists.pdf)
7. [Opta Jury: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2367391/opta-jury-yakubu-aiyegbeni)
8. [Yakubu Aiyegbeni Player Profile, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/6798/yakubu-aiyegbeni)
9. [Barclays Premiership match report, The Guardian (2005)](https://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2005/09/11/050912_sp_fullbook.pdf)
10. [Yakubu Aiyegbeni All Competitions Stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/a1fe3f62/all_comps/Yakubu-Aiyegbeni-Stats---All-Competitions)
11. [Salah overtakes Yakubu on Premier League goalscoring chart, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/liverpool-star-salah-overtakes-nigeria-legend-yakubu-in-premier-league-goalscoring-chart/1nddkn6sy40ti1jtccan6a6pqy)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Nigerian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license