Yakubu Ayegbeni Speaks About Enduring Insults After Infamous World Cup Miss

Yakubu Ayegbeni Speaks About Enduring Insults After Infamous World Cup Miss

  • Yakubu Ayegbeni remains one of the finest strikers to ever don the green and white kit of the Nigerian team
  • Sadly, the former Everton striker is often remembered for his miss at the 2010 World Cup against South Korea
  • The former Middlesbrough attacker has opened up about the infamous miss in a recently surfaced interview

Yakubu Ayegbeni has recently opened up on the infamous miss from the 2010 FIFA World Cup against South Korea.

The combative forward, who represented the Super Eagles for over a decade, has often seen his otherwise illustrious international career overshadowed by that one moment—one seemingly costly miss.

In the crucial group stage clash at the South Africa World Cup, the former Everton striker was perfectly set up for a finish, but to the disbelief of many, Yakubu missed the golden opportunity.

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Yakubu Ayegbeni misses an open goal for Nigeria
Yakubu Ayegbeni of Nigeria misses an open goal during the 2010 FIFA World Cup match between Nigeria and South Korea at Durban Stadium on June 22, 2010. Image: Jamie McDonald.
Source: Getty Images

Although “Yak,” as he is affectionately known, scored just 10 minutes later, many Nigerian fans have struggled to move past the incredible miss.

Now, more than 14 years later, Yakubu has spoken out about the incident and the harsh reactions he continues to face from fans regarding that missed chance.

Yakubu speaks on miss against Korea

In a recent interview with Flashscore, the 41-year-old detailed that he still receives insults for his infamous miss against South Korea.

However, Yakubu expressed that he feels no regret, emphasising that such a miss could happen to anyone.

The retired forward also made it clear that he holds no grudges and harbours no regrets about representing Nigeria.

"Playing at the World Cup in South Africa was another great opportunity to represent my country. We should all forget the miss and remember the good moments. It’s funny when people still talk about it – it's almost 14 years now – and they still focus on the miss instead of the good times.

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Regret playing for Nigeria? No chance. It was an honour to play for Nigeria. Every player dreams of representing their country. I was born in Nigeria, grew up in Benin, Edo State, and it was an honour to wear the green and white jersey," Yakubu said in a candid interview.

Yakubu, who appears to have long moved past the World Cup miss, recently took to social media to playfully remind fans of the event by sharing a photo from that moment.

Ex-Super Eagles star recounts his career regrets

Legit.ng in another report detailed how former Nigeria forward, Victor Ezeji, recounted what he considers his biggest career regret.

The 43-year-old, who dominated the football scene on the African continent, described a failed transfer to a Norwegian club as one of his greatest regrets.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ero Samson avatar

Ero Samson (Sports Editor) Samson Ero is a sports journalist with a track record of over six years in the Nigerian media industry. He has honed his skills at EPL Partners Nigeria Limited and Transsion Holdings, where he covered various sports stories and general news working as Content Operation Specialist and Content Coordinator. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2023. Reach him via email at ero.samson@sportsbrief.com.

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