Former Super Eagles and Everton striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has reacted to his achievements during his playing days in the English Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports.
Now 42, Big Yak scored 95 goals in 252 Premier League appearances for several clubs like Portsmouth, Everton, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers, before bowing out in 2012 to head to China, signing for Gouanzhou City.
His brilliant goalscoring record made him a cult hero at four different English clubs, and his output made him rank 5th amongst African goalscorers in the English top-flight.
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Yakubu rests on his laurels
After playing for almost a decade in England, the former Maccabi Haifa striker counts it an honour to be in a list of goalscorers in the best league in the world.
“It’s massive when you mention these names like Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Adebayor, Didier Drogba,” the former Super Eagles striker said in an interview with Sky Sports.
“Being on that list is unbelievable, scoring goals in one of the world’s best leagues.
“Being top five in that list and the highest scoring Nigerian striker is a huge achievement. Records are meant to be broken, but to be up there, to score goals, is an honour.”
“In the Premier League, it’s so difficult to score goals; you see many players who struggle to score goals here because it’s a hard league. You have to get used to it.
“So, it’s an honour, it makes me feel proud of myself.
I’m very proud of scoring 95 goals in the Premier League, so many scored 100, but I didn’t have the chance to do it because I was injured for eleven months.
“I wish I hadn’t got injured, because it would’ve been five more goals. I’m not greedy. I’m happy, honoured even, very pleased to have reached that milestone in a huge league.
“A boy from Benin scoring 95 goals, I’m grateful,” Big Yak concluded.
Yakubu‘s record of being the highest scoring Nigerian in England will stay on for a little longer, as Kelechi Iheanacho is the closest player to him, but even the Celtic man scored just 42 Premier League goals.