Joseph Phillip Yobo born 6 September 1980 is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played as a center-back. He was the captain of the Nigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014 and is Nigeria’s joint record appearance holder.
Yobo grew up in a poor background he barely managed to scrape through Secondary School in an environment where illiteracy and poverty was prevalent.
Fortune, talent, and perhaps a bit of good luck smiled on the teenager when he had the opportunity to play at the World Youth Championships and work his way up the ladder.
“Lady luck finally smiled on me because, although I grew up in an average family and managed to finish secondary school, other people around us were not so fortunate. there were people who were not able to realize their potential, even though they were brilliant, because their families could not afford to put them through secondary school” Recalls Yobo.
Yobo left Nigeria in 1998 and made his first-team debut in 2000 for Standard Liege, and went on to appear 46 times. In 2001, he was bought by Marseille.
With an enviable international football career, spanning continents and clubs Yobo In 2007, still went ahead to established the Joseph Yobo Foundation to aid the lives of underprivileged children from his home region in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
