http://nationscup.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=33053



Nigeria's Super Eagles skipper Joseph Yobo has told MTNFootball.com that he plans to play till 2018 even amid calls from a section of the public that he is already too old for the national team.

Yobo, 29, featured for Nigeria at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups and now by his estimation, it could well mean he still has two more World Cups in him.

"What my manager told me is that I could still play for another seven, eight years. It is all about me looking after myself," Yobo told MTNFootball.com. "You know that I started playing for the national team early. I am fortunate and thank my God that when I made my debut I kept my place in the Super Eagles.

"I can understand if they say I have been there for long or I have been there for quite sometime, I will understand. But if you say I am old, then I will start wondering because I don't know the meaning of being old.

"I don't know what they are talking about being old or not being old. They should look in the mirror to know whether somebody is old or not.

"In football things happen very fast. In other national teams you will see players who are well past 30 and they are still playing. I think it all depends on who you bring on the table.

"Like I said, there are two different things - Yobo is playing in the national team for quite some time, but if you say Yobo is old, I disagree with this."

The central defender, who has featured for several other European clubs like Olympique Marseille and Standard Liege, said he is only getting to the peak of his career.

"I am getting to my peak now. Apart from last season that I was injured and it was a difficult season for me, I don't think I have lost anything. It is just for me to be fit and if I am fit people are going to see the best of me," offered Yobo, who has joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce on a season-long loan deal from Everton.

"I don't know the feelings of people thinking that players are too old. They are two different things because you always need experienced players to guide the younger ones.

"We can understand it that because the national team have not been doing well recently, but you can't just generalise. I think it has come to a point where people have to stand up for themselves when they want to play for the national team."

The central defender, who has featured for several other European clubs like Olympique Marseille and Standard Liege, said he is only getting to the peak of his career.

someone needs detox

If he likes let him play till 4040, (na im wahala), If he is not in form or good enough, Nigeria will dump him straighaway. He should stop kidding himself about getting to his peak. If this is his peak, then he is not good enough. Nigerians need a central defender with more,

Pls go on till 2050 ok. God bless. Afterall Song of Cameroun still came to last World Cup.

The young shall die while the Old shall live _{by force or fire}
Last i heard,Essien has retired from the Black stars.

To start with,is 29 your true age? T

you wan die now

36years(projected current age) + 8years(2018)=44years(retirement age). . .Its very possible

If he is still fit by 2018, then by all means he is invited to come and play, and hopefully, bring in some experience to the team.
_{It is expected he'll have some experience by then.}

make yobo lok bush

JUO:

you wan die now

leave am make e play, na him go still shame!!

[size=13pt]maybe NA republic OF NIGER he wan go play for by that tyme!![/size]

Yobo, 29, featured for Nigeria at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups and now by his estimation, it could well mean he still has two more World Cups in him.

Does he think that we are descendant of APES,


He should go on till the next Millenium (who knows he could be an AVATA like Stanley Okoro)

God punish u,if u're at ur peak den y everton wan offload u?u better go and sit down,

Yobo, why dont you play till 2048?

Footballers have died on the pitch in the past so his own won't be the first.

Isn't that suppose to be his personal problems?

Mr Yobo!!!!!!!!!!! the ball wei u don play 4 us don do! we are grateful! pls giveway 4 emergin stars. excp u wan dey
play wit ur children mates! or better still u fit go play 4 ur manager!!!!!

U mean PS3  or PSP?

yobo, yobo yobo

are you really 29?

All liars shall go to hell ,

Yobo real age is 29, he was a real small boy when he join the SE, so he can make it even until 2020. Naija go better by 2020,

Haba,Oga Yobo,if at your peak you are leaking ball so much like this,what will happen by 2018? You may go on till 3018 sef who cares?

slap1:

U mean PS3 or PSP?

Ha ha ha.Nice one bruv

for which team. The highest we can manage u is next nations cup and dat is all.

It is understandable for Nigerians to be skeptical about our players' ages because of our tendency to falsify our age records. However, that does not mean that there are no players using their true ages. For instance, it is established that players born in Europe can not possibly falsify their ages e.g. Osaze Odemwengie and Andre Dede Ayew, etc. Now, if it is possible for Dede to play for the Ghana National team at the age of 18, why do we think it is impossible for a Nigerian player to play for the Super Eagles at the age of 20?

Those of us who followed the Nigerian football league when we had a league must have heard of the player, Okwuchukwu Nwaobikeze. He started playing for Sharks of Port Harcourt while still in Secondary School in SS2 at the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt. Before you say he could as well be 25, this guy hails from a relatively wealthy family in Omoku, Rivers State. The Principal of his school only allowed Coach Monday Sinclair to use him in the home matches unless they were in holidays. He finished secondary school in 1989 and less than a year later, he made his debut for the the Super Eagles under coach Westerhof at the real age of 18 years and 10 months.

Now to Joseph Yobo. He has an elder brother, Albert Yobo who played for the Golden Eaglets at Ecuador 1995 alongside the late Igenewari George, the younger brother of Finidi George. The elder Yobo was my classmate at State School, Orogbum in D/Line, Port Harcourt and we were all born and lived in the same street, Igboukwu Street. Now while I can not vouch for the age the elder Yobo is using, I can categorically say that Joseph Yobo is using his real age whether you believe it or not. His quick success in the game is down to his elder brother. As at the time he finished from Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori, Albert was already in France playing for Auxerre. He immediately facilitated the movement of Joseph to Europe later that same year, that is why he never played professionally for any Nigerian clubside. He was later snapped up by the youth team of Standard Liege of Belgium as a striker which is his natural position. You would recall that was the position he played for the Flying Eagles in Nigeria 99. It was later that he was converted to a defensive midfielder, later right full back and now centre back.

I have written this long comment so you should not always generalise issues and make only comments you are sure of. Yobo has played for Nigeria since 2001 making it just 9 years. Because he started playing at an early age does not make him old. If he is to be dropped, let it be for lack of form or some other player doing better than him and not because of age. At his age, for a central defender, he has not even reached his prime. If Dede Ayew continues playing for Ghana in the next 10 years, will they drop him because he started playing from a young age? Those of you calling Yobo old do not even know that some of the players you are touting to replace him might even be older than him. I am saying this now because I know the player from his childhood. Who knows how many of our players had unfairly been labelled "old" just because they hit the limelight at a very young age?

Papa ejima,how far na?

We need people like papa Ejima to enlighten Nigerians, The man has just typed the truest statement I've ever read on here for a long time, I just want to add that Yobo, played for Amateur team Mechelin fc as a teenage high school leaver and also played for SSk and bright stars, the last coach was coach Zico amongst other local coaches he trained with but the boy is 30yrs old for real cuz I played with him alongside George Abbey who was only a yr or 2 older than us. I coudn't make it to the top level but I must tell d truth as much as I know. Gideon, Joseph, Edwin and Albert in ascending other were the 4 footballing brothers in Igboukwu street D/line.
Joseph is our best and most reliable and experience defender, what a skipper nxt world cup shud be ok 4 him

any how she wants it

All you yobo haters Yakubu is still playing at Everton at the ripe age of 42 and a very good striker too. they are counting on him to give them the much needed comedy functions up-front and you guys want yobo to quit at 41. you must all be joking

how can any1 mention Yobo n Yak in d same sentence when it comes to age?? dunno 'bout yak but he played several yrs in Nigeria b4 travellin to isreal then uk on d other hand Yobo an 18 yrs old left Mechelin in 1998 to Belgium n played a key role in d AYC n WYC U20 In 1999 then got his SE 1st cap in 2001 and ever since He's been outstanding 4 both club n country plz stop hating guys I can vouch for Yobo's age to d fullest take it to d bank hes 30 few days ago sept 6