Joseph Yobo names Messi, Ronaldo, and Drogba as his toughest oppositions ever
- Joseph Yobo has named Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Drogba as his toughest opponents ever
- The 39-year-old faced a number of strikers during his 16-year reign as a football star
- Yobo was recently named as the Super Eagles assistant coach, replacing Amapakabo
Newly appointed Super Eagles assistant coach Joseph Yobo has named Argentine star Lionel Messi as one of the toughest players he has faced as a defender.
The 39-year-old who replaced Imama Amapakabo as Gernot Rohr's deputy ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers retired active football in 2014.
And his 16-year career as a football star, he faced high;y-rated forwards who could demystify the confidence of defenders.
While reacting to one of the questions asked by ESPN during an interview, Yobo listed the Barcelona attacker along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba as the toughest he faced.
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The former Everton defender said: “I would have said Robbie Keane the former Tottenham player, he was clever but it has to be Messi.
“I am the kind of person that I like to see you because I can mark you and put you in my pocket.
"But sometimes because of the way these strikers move and their size they come from everywhere, sometimes they are missing in the game and the next thing they pop up and mess you around.
“Messi I would say because the few times we played against him he made the difference and I was unable to get hold of him.
“We already knew that he was going to be the problem, we knew that if we took him out we had a better chance.
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“Ronaldo because of his physique and his size, he plays as a number 9, it was easier for me to mark him but when I played against him he was more of a wide player,” Yobo said.
The former Super Eagles captain said when asked who his toughest African opponent was: “For African striker, I would say Didier Drogba, he had presence, he can head the ball and for some reason, he ends up scoring important goals when it matters in my time with Everton.”
Legit.ng earlier reported that Gernot Rohr has raised concerns over his relationship with newly-appointed Super Eagles assistant coach Joseph Yobo, cited Complete Sports quoting BBC.
The German tactician claims he has spoken with to the former Nigerian international since he took over the job from Imama Amapakabo.
Rohr said he hopes to meet the former Everton defender when he returns to the country ahead of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone.
Gernot Rohr was asked about what he thought when the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) appointed Yobo as his new assistant.
The 66-year-old has been having issues with his contract renewal revealed that he had plans to meet NFF President Amaju Pinnick.
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Source: Legit.ng