Joseph Yobo Bio Send To Friend  

The 6 ft 2 in centre back has been a regular Premier League performer for seven years, earning plaudits for his displays at Everton and providing a steady presence in the Nigerian national team's defence. He began his career with Belgian outfit Standard Liege before moving to French club Marseille where he struggled to make an impact. He was loaned out, first to Tenerife and then to Everton, and it was at Goodison Park where he made the biggest impact.

Everton initially signed Yobo on loan in 2002, before making the move permanent a year later. Yobo was one of David Moyes' first signings as manager and was a rock in his first season as Everton carved out a reputation for having one of the best defences in the Premiership. He won the 2003-04 Everton Young Player of the Year Award and in the 2006/07 season, the athletic defender played every second of every Premiership game, matching a record last achieved 20 years earlier by Kevin Ratcliffe.

He could not match that feat the following season, not least because the Nigerian international represented his country during the 2008 African Cup of Nations, but he remained a key player as Everton finished fifth and booked a place in the UEFA Cup. He has this season captained the side in the absence of Phil Neville and has captained Nigeria on several occasions. He played in the 2002 World Cup finals for Nigeria and impressed, despite the Super Eagles' failure to progress past the group stage. Yobo played nine games in qualifying for the 2010 finals and scored two goals, both crucial winners in 1-0 victories.

Strengths: Powerful, athletic and fast, Yobo is an imperious header of the ball and is rarely beaten in an aerial challenge.

Weaknesses: Prone to lapses in concentration.

Career High: Scoring back-to-back winners in 2010 World Cup qualifying matches against Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guniea.

Career Low: Narrowly missing out on qualification for the 2006 World Cup, after being beaten to a place at the finals by Angola.

Style: Commanding centre half who is dominant in the air.

Quotes: "He's been great. The manager's heaped a load of responsibility on him by giving him the captain's armband but he's relished it. He's been a fantastic leader for us." He knows what it's about at the highest level and he's been fantastic in that role." Everton team-mate Tim Howard, October 2009.

Trivia: Yobo set up his own charity in 2005, the Joseph Yobo Foundation, which helps underprivileged children in Nigeria.

Soccernet says: A rock at the centre of defence, there are few as strong in the air as Yobo. He is a natural leader and will help stabilise the Nigerian defence, as well as offering a genuine threat of goals from set-pieces.