Former Super Eagles star, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has drawn the curtain on his glittering career on the day he clocked 35.
Aiyegbeni has been a free agent since April after being released by Coventry City where he was reduced to three appearances due to an ankle injury.
Yet, not too many Nigerians can match the colossal forward in terms of achievement.
With 96 strikes, he is Africa’s second top scorer in Premier League history behind Didier Drogba.
These he achieved while playing for four sides namely Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn in around 250 games.
That’s aside from the extra 12 goals he notched while playing for Leicester City and Reading in the English second tier.
But Aiyegbeni didn’t begin his career in the Queen’s country.
He started in his native Nigeria at Julius Berger almost two decades ago, before being loaned to Portuguese club, Gil Vicente.
It was there Israeli side, Maccabi Haifa, took note of him and broke the bank for his signature.
At Haifa, he made a name for himself especially in the Champions League where he notched a hat-trick as a teenager.
3 – Yakubu is one of only three teenagers to have scored a hat-trick in the Champions League (19y 306d for Maccabi Haifa v Olympiakos in 2002), alongside Wayne Rooney & Raúl. Retired. pic.twitter.com/MGbmrOIk2T
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 22, 2017
During the latter stages of his career, Aiyegbeni took his craft to Turkey and China.
For his country, Aiyegbeni was equally phenomenal.
With 21 goals, he is the Super Eagles’ third all-time top scorer behind Rashidi Yekini and Segun Odegbami.
After 57 appearances including four Africa Cup of Nations and a World Cup final, Aiyegbeni quit international football in 2012.
