Joseph Yobo is a professional football player, who was born on September 6, 1980 in Kono, Nigeria. He is the younger brother of former Nigeria international Albert Yobo.
Joseph Yobo won his international cap for the senior national team in 2001 and went on to make his first appearance in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in the 2002 edition held in Japan and South Korea. As of 2008, he has won fifty nine international caps and is also the vice-captain of the Nigerian national side.
Joseph Yobo grew up playing the sport in the dusty streets of Africa, where he played barefoot. He was huge fan of Manchester United as they were very famous in his country.
In1998, Joseph Yobo started his professional football career by playing for Standard Liege and continued with the club till 2001. During his stint at the club he made a total of 46 appearances and also scored two goals for it. In the following season, Joseph Yobo signed with the French First Division side Marseille, where he played a total of 23 games for the side. During the 2001-02 season he was sent as a loan player to the Spanish club Tenerife.
Joseph Yobo was again sent on loan to Everton football club for the 2002-03 season and signed to play as defender with it soon. He extended his tenure at Everton till 2010 by signing a five-year contract in 2006. On April 15, 2007, he set a record for the most number of appearances by an overseas player in the squad.
In October 2007, Joseph Yobo was named the captain of the side in the absence of Phil Neville in their UEFA Cup match against AE Larissa of Greece, thus becoming the first African to captain the side. As of 2008, he has made a total of 145 appearances and is the vice-captain of the side.
Joseph Yobo has expressed his determination to help under-privileged children from his home in the Niger Delta of Nigeria through his foundation. He has also started a football academy in the Ogoni region of Nigeria and also organizes football camps in Lagos together with Everton Lagos F.C.
During his spare time, Joseph Yobo enjoys listening to music and playing table tennis. His favorite food is fried rice and chicken, and he likes to spend his holidays in United States of America and Nigeria.
