Former Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni has revealed that he still receives messages from Nigerians. They are still unhappy with him for his miss at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.
The team led by Swedish coach, Lars Largerback were in Group B alongside Argentina, South Korea and Greece.
The team needed a win against South Korea in the last match after losing to perennial nemesis, Argentina and Greece in the first two matches.
The match ended 2-2, but the talking point was Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s close-range miss from three yards.
Yakubu later scored from the spot to restore parity for Nigeria, but he is fondly remembered for the unpardonable miss.
The former Everton striker is surprised that Nigerians are still yet to move on from the unforgettable miss.
“I felt bad when I missed it, but people still talk about it and are saying if I had scored, we should have gone to the next round,” the former Everton forward told Goal.
“Even if I scored, are we going to win the World Cup? That I am not sure of.
“I have sored so many goals for Nigeria, and even when people thought we would never qualify for the World Cup, I stood up to be counted.
“I have always done my best to help the country, but it’s weird that people still send me messages till date, even on social media about that miss.
“They would write things like ‘I never forget o, I never forget the goal wey you miss o’ [I haven’t forgotten the goal you missed], ‘we no go forgive you o’ [we won’t forgive you], etc. and I would be like wow.”
“I never let that affect me because I think only about the good memories,” he continued.
“Ten years in the national team was great, and wearing the green and white jersey was an honour for me. I still watch some of my goals with my kids.
“Also, playing in the national team was a joy for me because that was my childhood dream.
“As a player, you want to play for your country, and I’m glad I did so graduating to the Super Eagles after playing for the U23 team.
“I was also opportune to play at the South Africa World Cup, where I scored a goal. I have no regrets whatsoever despite my miss against South Korea.”
The former Middlesbrough striker scored 21 goals in 57 appearances for Nigeria. He announced his retirement from football in 2017 after a successful club career, where he scored over 100 goals England for the likes of Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Leicester City and Blackburn.
