SportsCasting caught up with a true Barclaysman, Yakubu, after Everton\u2019s staunch 1-0 win over Manchester United in which David Moyes\u2019 team played with 10 men for 75 minutes. The Nigeria legend spoke about the Super Eagles\u2019 chances in the upcoming AFCON, as well as what the future holds for Liverpool\u2019s talisman Mo Salah amid the club\u2019s awful run of form\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n
Key highlights from the interview:<\/b><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Did you catch Everton\u2019s win over Manchester United? A great performance from David Moyes\u2019 side despite being down to 10 men from early on\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu:<\/b> I think Everton\u2019s win over Manchester United is one of the best games they ever played. You can see the way they were fighting, they were working together as a team, the defence was solid and the whole team from front to back and the goalkeeper made some great saves. It\u2019s one of their best ever games at the beginning of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: And even to go down to 10-men so early in the game in quite an unconventional way, what did you make of Idrissa Gueye\u2019s red card?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It\u2019s part of the game. David Moyes was right when he spoke about it with the way you play as a team. You want to see everyone do well and not do bad passes, and you have to tell your players because you want to win. You need to fight on the pitch for your team because you want to be successful. You have to work together as a team and fight for each other. Not that kind of way, but fight for each other on the pitch and that\u2019s the way it goes. We used to fight in the dressing room when I was playing too, we got on each other’s back so it is normal in football.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: I can imagine it gets quite heated in training too?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: People don’t understand that players fight in training sometimes if there is a bad tackle that is too aggressive. But it’s all part of the game. But I think in football generally now, it is quite different. Any small contact between opponents is a foul. Back when I was playing, we just used to get on with the game. Yesterday Everton\u2019s defence was really solid and the whole team played like they had 11 men. Maybe in the next games they should play with one man down so they can play like this every week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Everton are now above Liverpool and Manchester United in the Premier League table. Do you think European qualification is a possibility now?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It’s still too early to think about playing in Europe. David Moyes has been there for a while now. So step-by-step, I think he’s trying to bring his own players and getting them to work really hard. They\u2019re starting to buy the idea of the way he plays and they also need to have patience with the strikers. And I believe Thierno Barry can score goals eventually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: What do you think the Everton strikers need to do to score more goals?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: They just need to keep working hard and believe in themselves. I know myself that there is huge pressure playing for Everton. But the fans love it when the players give it their everything. I was there for four years and they just need to work hard and then they can start to score goals. You can see Moyes is giving the young ones like Barry the chance to play. I watched Barry play in the pre-season games and he\u2019s a good lad and I think he just needs that confidence to get one goal and then the confidence will be there. Beto has been doing all right but we still need a striker who can score goals and I think in good time the fans will enjoy Barry in this team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: If you were the Everton manager, where would you strengthen in January?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I think we are fine in the midfield area. Jack Grealish is doing really well and Ilimane Ndiaye the small one, he plays like Steven Pienaar. He is working hard. He\u2019s running, he’s chasing the ball. And Jack Grealish has brought a lot of quality in the team. You can see that the team is balanced with two really good guys who like to play good football. We’re not kicking it long and we are passing now, which is good. Everton must continue to be solid and I just hope the strikers can get one goal then another one will come. They just need goals. If they score one goal, the confidence will come. It depends on what Moyes wants to do with Beto and Barry. But Barry being a young kid coming to the Premier League is hard because it\u2019s such a tough league. So they just need to be patient about him and he will score goals.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: You mentioned Ndiaye there, he\u2019ll be off to AFCON in the new year with Idrissa Gueye for Senegal. How do you think Everton will cope without them and what kind of adjustments can you see being made?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Moyes always finds a way to balance things with the players there. And for sure they’re going to miss them for two or three weeks. And it depends on where they finish in AFCON so they might be there for one week and they’re back again, but Senegal want to make it to the finals. But they will be missed and Moyes always knows what to do. I don’t think they will be looking to bring in new players. Because if they buy new players and their players come back from AFCON and don\u2019t play then they’re not going to be happy. He will find a way to balance the team for when the boys come back. Ndiaye is getting better every day and every game he plays. He’s unbelievable. He is a good player. He gives 100% every game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Do you think Jack Grealish will go to the World Cup with England?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: You never know with seven or eight months still to play. You never know before the World Cup starts, players might start to drop their form and with injuries, when it comes to a tournament like this, anything can happen. But I think the way he’s been playing for Everton, you never know with the England manager, he can give Grealish another chance. The door is not closed until the final selection time comes for the World Cup. He just needs to keep enjoying his football. You can see the smile on his face. He is enjoying football now more than before and he’s working really hard and I hope he can get back into the England team again because he’s a very special player. You can see the smile and joy when he played for Aston Villa and then he came to Man City he won a trophy but things still didn\u2019t go well for him for one or two years and then he got a chance to work with David Moyes. Moyes is another hardworking manager. He never gives players a rest. He\u2019s expressing himself in football and he is enjoying the moment which is really good. You have to enjoy the football and then it\u2019s all fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Do you think Arne Slot will be happy that Mo Salah is going off to AFCON with Egypt? He won\u2019t have to think about benching him or not for a few weeks\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Everyone knows that Mo Salah is a very good player and he is a legend in Liverpool. He\u2019s scored goals for fun, he\u2019s won the league and he\u2019s been there for a decade now. Sometimes in football it is up and down and Salah has never found himself in this position. But it is hard for him now and Mo Salah would always score goals before. But in the Premier League age can catch up to you, but he will score goals again eventually. Going back to AFCON, he wants to win when he plays there. And it\u2019s up to the manager to make the decisions, that\u2019s what he gets paid for. But Slot has already benched him before so it\u2019s up to him to give Salah a break or play another player in his position. If you think he can do the job, why not give someone else a chance. When it comes to age, the Premier League is all about running! It\u2019s a very tough league and I think this will be Mo Salah\u2019s last season at Liverpool. He could move to the Saudi League. He\u2019s done a lot for Liverpool and he will always be one of the best players to ever grace the Premier League. Everybody loves him in Egypt and everybody knows him in Africa. He might have signed a new contract but it might not be working how it used to when he was looking for the new contract. He has tried to give everything for Liverpool, but this is just football. One bad season doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s a bad player. They just need to enjoy him and give him support. He\u2019s done so much for the club and I wish him all the best if it is his last season in Liverpool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Liverpool\u2019s situation has gone from a blip to something of a crisis. Do you think Arne Slot will still be there at the end of the season, or do you think they’re going to look to make a change?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: No, I think he’s still going to be there. They need to give him a chance. He just won the Premier League! It happened to Pep Guardiola last season when Manchester City lost six games in a row. Every top manager goes through a crisis like this, when they\u2019re not winning games. They’re not defending like they used to, they just need to still give him a chance. I think he is still going to be there in December and why sack him? He just went and won the league and I say give him a chance to turn things around. Liverpool is a great club and the fans they\u2019re unbelievable too. When it comes to Anfield the atmosphere is crazy there, but give him a chance there to turn things around.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: When you watch strikers playing in the Premier League and around Europe these days, is there anyone that reminds you of the way you used to play the game?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: They don’t have old school strikers like me anymore. When you look at teams now, most of the strikers, some of them are really wingers. Then you look at Erling Haaland at Manchester City. He is a top striker there, which is really good. He is scoring goals but is not like part of the link up play. We like to feel the ball. We like to be physical, strong and then try to bully the defenders. The strikers we all see now most of them would dribble, like back in the days where you had Andy Cole, Thierry Henry and Louis Saha. They were all top strikers. You\u2019d have like four strikers on the bench. Now maybe you have one in the team. So it all just changed now.\u00a0 than when we used. There’s another striker I really like, Igor Jesus at Nottingham Forest. He works really hard. He is good with the ball. He can dribble, he can shoot. I think he’s going to be a top striker in the Premier League.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Do you think Victor Gyokeres will be more successful in the Premier League than Benjamin Sesko?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I think he’s more physical than [Benjamin Sesko] at Manchester United. He\u2019ll run the channels. He is quick. You can see he needs time. It’s different when you play in Portugal. The Premier League is one of the toughest leagues in the world but I believe he is really, really solid. He\u2019s a raw striker. He uses his body and he is unlucky he got injured now, but I think Arsenal have got a striker there in that boy. He is looking good.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Arsenal are now top of the Premier League by six points. Could it be Arsenal’s year?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It’ll be nice because of my friend Mickey [Mikel Arteta] from that time we played together at Everton. It’ll be nice for him to win it. He has been there for over six years now. There’s a lot of pressure on him to win the league. You can see the team now is better than two years ago, three years ago. They’re more solid. I think they’re more mature. They\u2019re bigger. They play like men. They have this heart. They want to win games and their football is really good most of the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Arsenal were relying on set pieces and getting some criticism for that. Do you think set pieces in the Premier League are becoming a bit too much?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It doesn’t matter how you win your games. You have to find a way to win your games. I remember back then, when you went to Stoke City where Rory Delap used to take long throw-ins and it is the same again now. I think when you look at the way the Premier League is now compared to last year. They do play the long ball now, not like before when they just wanted to pass it. Most of the team now have to play long balls. So go for the second ball, go for the third ball. It is getting changed by the day. You can’t just be passing and passing. You want to win games. So it depends on you. You want to play fancy football? You might not win a trophy. Play fancy football and end up relegated? It\u2019s up to you. Then you get sacked. When you look at the teams now, they\u2019re playing really, really good football. Passing short, long, short, long. The goalkeeper needs to be really, really good with his feet too. It\u2019s better now than before.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: What do you think teams can do to stop Arsenal and will losing Gabriel to injury affect them?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Nah, come on. Look at the young player that came in against Spurs. Piero Hincapie. He is another solid one. And Mosquera, who they bought from Valencia. Mosquera is really, really solid. Now they have a solid back four. Even the players on the bench, they’re ready to play. Two years ago, last year, they didn’t have that. But this year they have that. They’re really showing they want to take their places. Everyone is fighting for their places. You see their hunger because they want to play and when they’re not playing, they’re not happy. So whenever they give them 10 minutes, 20 minutes, you see the difference. So they’re already. Both from the top, from the midfield, Eberi Eze has been playing really well. And with the hat trick he scored against Tottenham, he is really good. He’s a very good player and they have Declan Rice there. He is solid in the midfield. The defense from the top, the strikers, they’re being solid and they have a good goalkeeper as well.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka both have Nigerian heritage. Do you think Nigerian fans have a sense of pride seeing them do well for Arsenal and England?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Of course! You know when you watch your own people playing in the Premier League, they do play for England, they choose to play there and they are playing really well. We support them, we still love them. We don’t hate them. We love them. We want them to succeed. Watching those two guys, playing so well for Arsenal and us playing so well in the national team, it is a blessing to England. So they’re lucky to have them and if they can stay injury free Arsenal have a great chance. I think it is too early to say they’re going to win the league now. Manchester City, when it comes to December, January Arsenal needs to be scared! Once they are on top, they don’t drop points anymore!<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Do you think the players are struggling with the pressure of playing for Nigeria?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Playing for your country, playing for Nigeria, I played there for 10 years. There’s always a pressure. When you play, you come home, they want you to give everything. When you don’t win, when you draw games, it’s a big problem. There’s a bigger pressure playing for Nigeria, than the pressure playing for your club side, because the pressure there in Nigeria, the way the media, the people talk about it is a massive pressure to play and when you lose a game. But we enjoy the pressure as a sportsman or a football player for your club, playing for your national team. I enjoyed going back to play for Nigeria. My time there for 10 years was special. I was very privileged to play for my country. To wear the green, white, green is an honor.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: What was the most favorite goal you scored for Nigeria? Can you remember a specific one?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I can say one in the Olympics against Honduras. Sydney 2000, it was special to me. I still think about it from the left side and drag it inside, into the top corner, the memory is still there.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: What Nigerian players have impressed you most this season so far across Europe? Is there anyone that stands out to you?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Yeah, we keep talking about Victor Osimhen, he has been the number one, Nigeria’s best player. He’s like a leader in the team. You see the aggression, the fight on the pitch, he is giving everything on the pitch. Then you have Calvin Bassey, the central defender from Fulham. Bassey has been another one, he is really solid in the team, he is a fighter, he gives a hundred percent in the team. There have been two or three players that have been really impressive, it’s just a shame we didn’t see the best of Ademola Lookman, he is another good one. It\u2019s just the situation with his club, I hope he gets back to his best before the AFCON, so that he can help us. We did miss him in the qualifiers, for the games we played, we really missed him because he was not the Lookman that we know, sometimes football is up and down, but he is another good one.<\/span><\/p>\n Alex Iwobi has been alright, he has been doing all right as well too. He is running around but we still need a creative midfielder in the team who can pass the ball to the strikers, we don’t have it. Alex is not the guy who can pass the ball to the striker, he is just buzzing around, getting the ball, passing it, we need someone who can pass forward. We don’t have Jay-Jay anymore, so we don’t have it. So that’s the problem we have with the national team, we need a creative midfielder who can pass the ball. We have too many defensive midfielders but the defense is quite solid. <\/span>But maybe not enough goals at the moment.<\/b> No, that’s why we struggle.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Who is your tip to win the AFCON? Obviously you’ll be supporting Nigeria, but who are the other dangerous teams?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I still tip Nigeria. I’m still going to Nigeria. I hope we can get to the final. If we get to the final, then we can win it. I still think Senegal, they are another team that have a golden generation, they’re really good, they play as a team, they don’t mess around. Egypt as well, that’s why they’re another top side where you are like, \u201cwow\u201d. Morocco, they are the host country, I think there is going to be pressure on them, you never know. When it comes to the tournament, and when you look at the team of DR Congo, there’s another one too, where they’re really, really impressive, the way they pass the ball, most of the players, they all play in Europe. They’re really, really, good and they’re solid. They have some experienced players in the team but I hope Nigeria can get to the final to win it. To bring that joy for not going to the World Cup. We’re going to miss it, we missed it twice already, because it’s sad that most of the players, I don\u2019t think they will ever play in the World Cup. When it comes to 2030, it’s going to be a long time and their age already is going to be gone. Then we have more young players coming up, every year you see new young players coming up and it is a sad thing for them.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Nigeria\u2019s coach Eric Chelle blamed their penalty shootout defeat to Congo on voodoo, saying the opposition coach was spraying water before each penalty they missed. What do you make of that?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It was the first time I heard a Nigeria coach talking about Voodoo. If it was voodoo, I think an African country would have won the World Cup a long time ago. Get to the final and win it. It’s a shame for him to say that and say the coach is pouring water, voodoo. He just needed to congratulate the team and say well done for winning, rather than bringing shame to Nigeria. He is a shame to Nigeria, a coach coming out when you just lost a final, then he says it\u2019s because of voodoo, it’s not really a nice way for a coach to comment. Just say we did our best and that they were just unlucky. We lost on penalties and he tried to fight someone there, they tried to pull him back, it is not a good look for him and for us, Nigeria too. He better learn from that, coming to the press conference and saying it is Voodoo, you lost the game. We had chances to win it but we lost it. They all had chances, they all missed chances. But when it comes to penalties, then it is a win-win situation. If you miss it, then they score, then it is gone, which they did. And for us, our penalties were quite poor but it is normally the pressure, when you play for Nigeria, it’s a massive pressure, so the pressure was too much for the players to deal with and it happened. But we have to focus now on the AFCON, another 25 or 24 days and they are back again. But the coach, it\u2019s a shame for him to come out and say it is voodoo, they’re pouring water, he should just let go.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: You mentioned Victor Osimhen, who’s playing out in Turkey. Do you think he still wants to play in the Premier League? Has he ever told you which club he would most like to join?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It depends on him, I played in the Premier League for more than six, seven years. It is one of the best leagues in the world. When you go to Spain, you have Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, three, four clubs, in which their football is really good, don’t get me wrong, but the Premier League is one of the best. One of the best in the world where players from Spain, they want to come over to play and for him he’s been scoring goals and he should come to the Premier League to test himself as well. Everyone would love to see him there, he should come there and give it a go. Why not? He can score goals, he is scoring goals in Fenerbahce. We know he is in Turkey, but come to the Premier League and let’s see what he can do. He can fit into any team, any of the big teams. It is just for him to make the decision if he wants to come to play or if he wants to reduce his wages, it depends on him, he’s the one to make the decision, for me, I would love to see him in the Premier League.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Thinking about your career and all the teams you played for in England, is there one team that’s closest to your heart?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Portsmouth was great. They gave me the platform, the chance to play in England. <\/span>With Harry Redknapp, my manager, he believed in me. I played in the Championship, then we got promoted to the Premier League and then I left. Everton, I was there for like four and a half years, so Everton was my home. My kids were born there. One of my last daughters supports Liverpool. Can you imagine? She supports Liverpool. I was like, why Liverpool? So Everton is still in my heart. All the clubs I’ve played with, I still check how they’re doing. The results, the managers, the players, I still follow them. Everything is still special to me.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Portsmouth are back in the Championship now – maybe one day we’ll see them back in the Premier League?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: It would be nice to see them because the fans there are unbelievable. It is a nice city, it’s not a big stadium, but they love football. That dream, to come over to play in the Premier League. They enjoyed that moment. They’ve been suffering. They’ve been suffering for over five years now. So they need to work so hard. And then the investment. When you try to get promoted to the Premier League, you have to invest. I don’t think they have that investor who can put in that money for them to take you to the next level, but at this point they’ve been doing all right. And I hope that we get a chance to play in the Premier League again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: You mentioned Harry Redknapp – do you still speak to him these days?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I still send him a message once in a while. I just text him. He is a very, very good guy. Being with him, he made me understand football, the man-management, the way he speaks to players, the way he puts his arm around players, he was special. I enjoyed working with him as a manager. And when he left and came back, he tried to bring me back. But it was too late. I’m not ready to go back anymore. We still keep in touch, even with the betting stuff, saying if you get 20 goals, I\u2019ll give you 20 grand from my own pocket. I was a bit sad there too, after the game. I scored four against \u2018Borough, and I was planning on vacation already with the money. I was planning already. One more goal, I’ll be going on vacation in America and then Nigeria. But it was a great experience and great memories with him and the way he speaks to players, it’s unbelievable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Middlesborough another team where you scored loads of goals, they look like they might actually get promoted this season?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: When you look at the chairman, Steve Gibson. He has been doing very well in that club and he’s another chairman I’ve seen and he gives managers chances to prove, to turn things around. He doesn\u2019t sack managers like that. He always gives them a chance. And he’s been supporting the team. I\u2019d love to see them in the Premier League because he deserves it. He’s the one spending money in the team and bringing in a good manager there. The football has been brilliant. They just need to take it to the next step and be in the Premier League. Back to the big boys league. It’d be nice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: When you were growing up did you support a team in England or was it a team in Nigeria for you?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: You won’t believe it. When I mentioned it, people are like, why? Why this team? I used to love Aston Villa. I’m telling you. Aston Villa. I was praying, I wish I could play for Aston Villa, but it never came. I always loved Aston Villa. Always back there in Nigeria. I just love it. Just the club, not one player, just the club. I just love the club. You know when you fall in love with something, I just fell in love with Aston Villa, I was praying that maybe one day I would play for them. And when I played against them, in my heart, I felt it. I was like, this club I wish I could play there. But it never happened. <\/span>You must have scored against them.<\/b> I think so. I’ve scored against all clubs I played against, but I know I scored against them already.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: In terms of the managers that you played under during your career, Harry Redknapp and David Moyes – who had the biggest impact on you?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: When I look back, Harry was special. Harry knows how to speak to players and Moyes is another one where it is all about the hard work. Even when you’re tired he\u2019s not giving you a break. He said he will let you know you can do it. When you play in the same place with Moyes, there’s no other club where you cannot play. You can play anywhere in the world, because it\u2019s all about hard work. Putting in the hard work, the running, making you work really, really hard. The players knew you’d be so fit when you work with Moysey. With Harry, the man-management is something special. You blend the two together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: In your time in the Premier League, was there a specific defender you hated coming up against?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Nemanja Vidi\u0107. He was really really tough. Playing against him, I was always ready for a battle. He is very physical. You know me, I’m very physical too, so I always tried to barge him and he tried to barge me and he’s solid. When he touches you, you feel it. This guy is really strong. Rio Ferdinand was another good player, he\u2019s very, very clever. Good with the ball. I think he’s still one of the best defenders England ever had. Because he’s so clever. John Terry as well. JT is another like Vidi\u0107, he was solid. He can put his body on the line. He’s really, really good. These three players.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Are you surprised John Terry hasn’t gone into management?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I think so. I think he was at Aston Villa back then, as an assistant. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe he doesn’t want to be. Or maybe he’s waiting for the right job. <\/span>He\u2019s said he doesn\u2019t understand why he hasn’t got the chance yet<\/b>. Sure. I never thought Lampard would be there before him. Everyone thought it would be JT. When you look at Lampard, Lampard is doing a great job at Coventry now. Winning games. He went to Derby and he was in Everton and Chelsea as well. But JT, everyone thought it’s going to be JT with his leadership skills. I thought everyone would be knocking on his door, wanting him to coach the club, but now there’s nothing. It\u2019s sad and I hope that he can get something soon.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Best teammate you ever played with?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Steven Pienaar, South Africa. When I came to Everton, we just bonded straight away. Watching highlights in South Africa and Holland. We just blended, and he speaks Nigerian Pidgin as well. He is a very, very good friend of mine. He’s a good guy. Steven Pienaar is my buddy.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: VAR. Love it or hate it?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Me? I don’t like it. I don’t like it. You see players, they’ve already scored, they celebrate. Then you have to wait. They have to check. It’s not a goal. Maybe back in our days, you know the linesmen, they don’t see things like the small lines, like the offside. I was like, no. For me it is killing football. I don’t like it. We should just play. We should just play normal.<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: Do you think you would’ve scored more goals with VAR in your day?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Maybe less, you never know. Maybe maybe less. Maybe I have to check some of my goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: What about the hardest stadium you ever played in with the most intimidating atmosphere?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: Hardest stadium. Leeds. Elland Road. The fans there, it is a little bit\u2026what’s the word? I remember going there with Portsmouth when we were struggling against relegation. It is a really hard place to play against. They’re all crazy. Crazy atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SportsCasting: The favourite goal of your entire career?<\/b><\/p>\n Yakubu: I think one against Portsmouth, my old team. Everton against Portsmouth. Big Sol Campbell was there. Just big Sol there. That was special. That was really special. We started the momentum at Portsmouth, then Jermaine Defoe, Kanu, they all came after I left. We built Portsmouth for them to come. And Peter Crouch as well. We laid the foundations, then they just came in and took it onwards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SportsCasting caught up with a true Barclaysman, Yakubu, after Everton\u2019s staunch 1-0 win over Manchester United in which David Moyes\u2019 team played with 10 men for 75 minutes. The Nigeria legend spoke about the Super Eagles\u2019 chances in the upcoming AFCON, as well as what the future holds for Liverpool\u2019s talisman Mo Salah amid the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":380,"featured_media":71068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1639,1321,52],"class_list":["post-71061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-afcon","tag-football","tag-premier-league"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n