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.JPG) Yobo playing forFenerbahçe in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Michael Yobo[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1980-09-06)6 September 1980 (age 45)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kono,Rivers State, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | 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[4] | (7) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Joseph Michael YoboOON (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian former professionalfootballer who played as acentre back. He was the captain of theNigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014, and was Nigeria's record appearance holder. In February 2020, he was appointed assistant coach of theSuper Eagles by theNigeria Football Federation.[5]
Yobo's birthplace and origin isKono, an Ogoni community inKhana Local Government Area ofRivers State, Nigeria.[6]
Yobo left Nigeria to joinStandard Liège in 1998. He made his first team debut in 2000, and went on to appear 46 times. In 2001, he was bought byMarseille.[7]
Soon after making his debut, Yobo was loaned toTenerife. After around nine months, Yobo returned to Marseille, before joiningEverton, again on loan, in July 2002. A £1 million fee was required to register the player, and he became the first signing ofDavid Moyes.[8] An option to make the move permanent was taken up and completed in 2003 after a dispute between Yobo and Marseille was settled,[9] with Everton agreeing a fixed additional fee of £4 million.[3][10]
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 the2006–07 season; his teammateJoleon Lescott also being an ever-present throughout the season.
The delay, in 2006, in signing a new contract with Everton lead to rumours of a move toArsenal,[11] but on 22 July, Yobo committed himself toGoodison Park until 2010. On 15 April 2007, Yobo became the record appearance holder for an overseas player at Everton, a record he held until early 2012.[12] For theUEFA Cup match againstAEL ofGreece on 25 October 2007, Yobo was named as captain in the absence ofPhil Neville and thus became the first African to captain the club. On 6 May 2009, Yobo scored his first goal of the season againstWest Ham United to seal a 3–1 win.
In the 2009–10 season, Yobo had to adjust to his new defensive partner,Sylvain Distin, afterJoleon Lescott left andPhil Jagielka became injured. On 29 November 2009, he scored an own goal in Everton's 2–0 defeat toLiverpool in theMerseyside derby. Distin, Jagielka andJohn Heitinga were increasingly selected over Yobo, confining him to the bench.
On 31 August 2010, Yobo signed a one-year loan contract withFenerbahçe. Yobo played in 30 official matches and scored a goal, helping his team win theleague title. On 6 September 2011, Fenerbahçe and Everton agreed on another loan deal for €700,000 and Yobo signed a one-year contract worth €2.35 million.[13] On 4 August 2012, he re-signed for Fenerbahçe once again, but this time on a permanent basis on a three-year contract, after having played for Everton for 10 years. On 17 August Fenerbahçe played againstTorku Konyaspor and Yobo scored a goal in this match.[14] Before the 2014–2015 season his contract with Fenerbahçe was terminated with mutual agreement.[15] On 31 August 2014, he was awarded with the plaque of appreciation and have been released from Fenerbahçe.[16]
On 30 January 2014, Yobo returned to England on loan atNorwich City for the remainder of the season with a view to a permanent move in the summer.[17]
He marked his debut for the club with a clean sheet against top-scoring clubManchester City on 8 February.[18]
Yobo is a formerNigeria international, who has beencapped101 times and represented the Super Eagles at threeFIFA World Cups and sixAfrica Cup of Nations tournaments.[19]
After participating in Nigeria's run to the1999 FIFA World Youth Championship quarter-finals, Yobo made his senior international debut againstZambia in a2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 24 March 2001.[19] He played in all six of the team's matches in the2002 Africa Cup of Nations[20] and was included in the squad for the2002 FIFA World Cup, where he was again ever-present,[20] assistingJulius Aghahowa's goal in a 2–1 loss toSweden.[21]
Yobo made his second World Cup appearance at the2010 tournament inSouth Africa, after which he assumed thecaptaincy on the international retirement ofNwankwo Kanu.[19] The veteran defender was no longer a first choice player at the2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but lifted the trophy after appearing as an 89th-minute substitute in Nigeria's 1–0final defeat ofBurkina Faso.[22]
In June 2014, Yobo was included inStephen Keshi's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[23] He was named in the starting line-up for both the second and third group matches, helping the Super Eagles to clean sheet in a 1–0 victory overBosnia and Herzegovina.[24] On 30 June, he made his 100th international appearance, captaining Nigeria againstFrance in theround of 16. After scoring an own goal in the 2–0 defeat, Yobo announced his international retirement, saying:"This is it. I can look back on my career with great pride. I wanted to leave on a high for my country. Defeat by France was not the right way to go but I'm happy with all I've done for the national team. It's time to give a chance to other people to come through."[25]
On 12 February 2020, Yobo was appointed assistant coach of theSuper Eagles by theNigeria Football Federation after a brief meeting held inAbuja.[26] He was appointed assistant coach to replaceImama Amapakabo.[27][28][29]
Yobo said "I am bringing back that motivation. As a former captain, I'm bringing inspiration. I've been there and I've done it all. I was a fan of the team before I became an assistant coach, so I've seen from a fanatical point of view how people feel when they are watching the team. We as players, while playing, don't notice these things but after my retirement, I've been a pundit, I've given my opinion about what should be done in the team." He also said "I'm bringing back my experience. Having over 15 years of consistency in my career, I think this is a lot. The good thing is that the spirit is going to improve. Having been a pundit and looking at the team, I think we can go a lot higher with the quality we have".[30]
In 2010, following a brief courtship, Yobo married formerMBGNAdaeze Igwe in a midnight ceremony held inJos. The couple wedded in a very low key ceremony barely three months after they met in December 2009.[31] However, it is known that they are said to be trying to hide their marital troubles from the press and general public.[32] The couple welcomed a baby boy named Joey Yobo April 2010.
He is the younger brother of former Nigeria internationalAlbert Yobo. In July 2008, his younger brother Norum[33] was kidnapped inPort Harcourt,Rivers State, Nigeria and held for ransom. He was eventually released after 12 days on 17 July 2008.[34]
It was widely reported in the Nigerian media that Yobo went toT.B. Joshua for prayers after suffering a hamstring injury in the2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[35] Yobo and his wife, Adaeze Igwe were conferred with chieftaincy titles of Mene Aborlo 1 and Waamene Aborlo 1 respectively ofOgoniland by King GNK Gininwa of Ogoni Kingdom on Saturday, 28 May 2016. This was a day after his testimonial match marking his exit from active football was organised by the Rivers State Government on Friday, 27 May 2016
In 2007, Yobo set up the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation,[36] to help under-privileged children in Nigeria. As of 18 July 2007, he has handed out over 300 scholarship awards ranging from primary to university level. Yobo has started a football academy in theOgoni region of Nigeria. He also runs football camps inLagos.
| 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[a] | 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[b] | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 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[c] | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 3[d] | 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 | ||
| 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[40] |
| # | 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 |
Fenerbahce
Nigeria
Orders
Officer of theOrder of the Niger[42]
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