Joseph Yobo

Yobo playing for Fenerbahçe in 2013

Joseph Michael Yobo (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He was the captain of the Nigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014.

Quotes

• Nigeria is always blessed with talent. When we talk about going forward, I see that as our strength because we always have players that can take on opponents one-on-one with individual brilliance and getting a goal out of nothing.
  • . Goal.com, 12 July 2019.

• It feels good to see that they want everybody to be a part of the football show by bringing it to their homes. The reduced tariffs would afford their customers to enjoy and be a part of history, and I believe the current squad of the Super Eagles would excel in Russia.
  • . The Nation Newspaper, 3 May 2018.

• It’s been a long way. It was a big one, I just think it is destiny – because its unusual. I didn’t play in the Nigerian league, which is one of the ways very few people had the opportunity to play internationally. I went to Belgium in 1998 and left for the Olympic Marsielle in 2001 and 2002 I got into the British league.
  • . BellaNaija.com, 29 March 2010.
• "I disagree with those worrying about Super Eagles defence... What is important is experience. Yes, we may not have experienced senior players in that area but we have talented, fearless young players who can hold their own against any team."
• "This is it for me. My family needs me. It's been a long road."
• "Everton is the perfect club for a brave player like Alex Iwobi and I know it's the right step to becoming a great player."
• "It's always an honour to represent the national team in any capacity, but the only reason I hesitated to join the coaching crew was because of how coaches are treated. It's not encouraging... The way coaches are treated in Nigeria, they don't always succeed, so I thought, why should I join them?"
• "You can never truly tell what will happen; the future is always in God's hands. As for whether I will join politics, you can never say never."