Nigerian Footballers

Full Name: Joseph Phillip Yobo
Date of Birth: 6 September 1980.
Nationality: Nigerian
Country of birth: Nigeria
Place of birth: Kano
Position: Defender
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Foot: Right


Early Life

Super Eagles defender Joseph Phillip Yobo was born on the 6th of September 1980 in Kono, and he currently plays as a centre back for Fenerbah�e. Yobo started his football career in his hometown of Port Harcourt playing for Michellin Port Harcourt before signing for Standard Liege in Belgium in 1998 as a teenager. He made his debut in the senior team in 2000 and became a regular in the team before signing for Marseilles in France at the start of the 2001/02 season. Shortly after making his debut for Marseilles Yobo went on loan to Spanish Club Tenerife where he failed to make a single appearance before returning to Marseille.

He was then sent on loan to Everton in 2002/03 season and made a great impression forcing Everton to sign him to a permanent deal the following season. A �1 million fee was required to register the player, and he became the first signing of David Moyes. Yobo became one of the most consistent players in the Everton squad, and was one of only seven players in the entire league to play every minute of every game throughout the 2006–2007 season.

He also became the first African to captain the club. He signed a one-year loan contract with Fenerbah�e in 2010 and helped his team win the league title that season but made his signing permanent in August 2012 on a 3-year contract, having played for Everton for 10 years.

In his international career, the Nigerian international played in the Super Eagles’ three matches in Japan and South Korea, for the 2002 World Cup, and even provided the assist for Nigeria’s only goal of the tournament. He was also part of the Nigerian squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, after which he assumed the Eagles’ captaincy upon the international retirement of Nwankwo Kanu.

He has 95 caps to his name as the captain of the Nigerian national team making him the most capped Nigerian player ever. He was called up to Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and although starting as a substitute went on to lift the trophy. In 2007, Yobo set up the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation to help under-privileged children in Nigeria and has handed out over 300 scholarship awards ranging from primary to university level. He got married to former MBGN Adaeze Igwe in January 2010 in Jos after a brief courtship and the couple welcomed their first child Joey Yobo in April 2010.