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EVERTON FC : OUT OF AFRICA: PART ONE

/noticias.info/ Yakubu has revealed he used to telephone his parents up to five times a day to cope with living away from Nigeria.

The striker left home as a 16-year-old to join Israeli side Maccabi Haifa but struggled to adapt to the new way of life.

Luckily for Everton fans sheer determination to reach the top, coupled with the support of his distant family, saw the young Yakubu ride out his homesickness.

Speaking to Premier League productions during the making of a special series about Nigerian footballers, the Toffees’ record signing said:

“It was so difficult to go from Nigeria to Israel, because they don’t speak English. I used to phone up my parents about four or five times a day.

“I had just two things in my mind there. One was to go back home because it was too difficult and the other was to stay and be patient. In the end some more Nigerian players moved to Israel and so that meant that I had some friends and that was good.”

After scoring seven times in eight Champions League outings for Maccabi Yakubu got his dream move to England.

He joined then-Championship side Portsmouth and his goals helped fire the South Coast club into the Premier League. He had made it. From playing barefooted in the streets of Benin City via Israel and the Football League, Yakubu would play alongside English football’s elite.

“I always had ambitions to play in the Premier League, even in Israel,” he says. “My manager then said that he wanted to take me to England and I was so desperate to come over. I had opportunities to go to Russia and Germany but he said I had to come to England because it was one of the best leagues in the world.
“It was great getting promotion to the Premier League with Portsmouth. I was playing with some quality players like Paul Merson and Tim Sherwood, and as a player it was like a dream.”

Yakubu’s club and international team-mate Joseph Yobo is another who had to leave his homeland in order to further his career.

Again, playing in England was a big appeal for the defender. And that made the decision to move to Merseyside a simple one.

“I think it was a bit easier because I didn’t come from Nigeria straight to England - I played in Belgium and France before,” says Joseph. “The Premier League is a different kind of game but it’s something I always looked forward to. I wanted to come here desperately so it wasn’t that hard [a decision]. It was different, but not hard. So, I am happy.”

Now fully settled into both the Premier League and the Everton way, Yakubu and Yobo are helping young compatriot Victor Anichebe follow suit.

Born in Lagos, Anichebe’s family moved to Liverpool when he was still an infant. Having risen through the ranks of Everton’s academy he has only ever known English football and the English way of life.

As a result he is confident in his ability to make the grade at Goodison.

“I did well in the UEFA Cup and I did well at the beginning of the season,” says Victor. “Maybe in the middle of the season I didn’t get many games but I’ve been in and around the first team all season and I can’t really ask for much more.

“I would like to play more but the manager knows what he’s doing when he brings me into the team and when he takes me out. Hopefully, soon, I can start getting a first-team spot more regularly.”

Look out on Evertonfc.com tomorrow for the second part of Out of Africa, our series on Everton's Nigerian players. The players talk about their friendship, their family and playing alongside each other. notas_de_prensa_archivo