PLAYER PROFILE

Ayegbeni Yakubu

Position: Forward

Height: 6'0

Weight: 13st 1lbs

Date of Birth: 1982-11-22 Benin, Nigeria

Ayegbeni Yakubu

Nigerian striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu made his first impact on English football when he scored against Manchester United for Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League in 2002/03, and later that season he joined First Division Portsmouth on loan.

To quote Harry Redknapp: "We took him on loan during last season and did a great job for us, so we ended up buying him. He is strong and quick and will give most defences a hard time." He cost them £400,000 in May 2003, having scored seven goals on loan.

When Portsmouth were promoted to the Barclaycard Premiership, Yakubu had his chance to shine, especially as top scorer Svetoslav Todorov picked up a serious injury just before the start of the new season.

So far, he has made rapid progress in the step up to the big time. Although his first season in the English top-flight started slowly, his quick pace eventually prevailed. He scored a whopping 19 goals in total, eleven in the last ten games - including four in the final game of the season - Pompey's 5-1 win over Middlesbrough.

He missed only two weeks of the 2003/04 campaign while away on international duty with Nigeria at the African Nations Cup, although was sent home early for apparently breaking a curfew. Not that Harry was complaining when he returned in that kind of form.

Yakubu was on form again in 2004/05, despite the turmoil at Fratton Park caused by Redknapp's defection to Southampton. The Nigerian striker scored 17 goals to help Pompey avoid the drop, although seemed unsettled at times by speculation linking him with a move away.

That move came in July 2005 when he left to join Middlesbrough in a deal worth £7,500,000 and his first season at the Riverside proved a huge success as he scored nineteen goals in 57 games.

This superb form continued in 2006/07 as he scored 16 goals in 44 starts. He is one of the most important and experienced players in a youthful Boro team.