Despite converting the equalising penalty against South Korea at the 2010 World Cup, Yakubu Ayegbeni remains a scapegoat for Nigeria’s group-stage exit after earlier losses to Argentina and Greece.
Former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Ayegbeni has reaffirmed his pride in playing for Nigeria, even as trolls and threats continue to trail his infamous miss against South Korea at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Although Yakubu converted the penalty that secured a 2-2 draw in that match, his miss three minutes earlier became the highlight of Nigeria’s final group game. Many fans continue to scapegoat him for the team’s group-stage exit, even though the Super Eagles had lost their first two matches to Argentina (1-0) and Greece (2-1).
When asked whether he regretted representing Nigeria, Yakubu told Flashscore, “Me, regret playing for Nigeria? No chance. It’s an honour to play for my country—every player wants to. I was born in Nigeria and grew up in Benin, Edo State. Wearing the green-and-white jersey is a privilege.
“Being at the World Cup in South Africa was another great opportunity to represent my country. We should forget the miss and remember the good moments. It’s funny how people still talk about it—it’s been almost 14 years.
“They didn’t talk about when I helped Nigeria qualify for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, only to be dropped. I still had the courage to take that penalty against South Korea, yet people keep sending me messages about the miss.”
The 41-year-old further downplayed the significance of the missed chance, suggesting that even if Nigeria had progressed to the knockout stage, winning the tournament was unlikely:
“I don’t think we would have won the 2010 World Cup. We’ve been to several World Cups, including ones we didn’t qualify for, but nobody talks about those. People say, ‘If only you had scored, we could’ve reached the next round.’ But are you sure we would’ve gone all the way?”
Yakubu acknowledged the regret that comes with missing such an opportunity but emphasised the need to move on.
“Of course, as a footballer, you regret missing chances, but you move on. I still receive messages like, ‘We’ll never forgive you,’ or, ‘We won’t forget the miss.’ That’s fine—it’s one of the most infamous misses of the World Cup, and even I won’t forget it.
“They said I was smiling after the miss—yes, I smiled, but inside, do you know how I felt? Do you think any player feels happy missing chances? Ronaldo, Messi, Amokachi, Okocha, Kanu—all great players miss, but life goes on.
“Everyone watches Ronaldo and Messi, and they miss chances too. But people just love talking about my miss, and I think they love me for that.”
Throughout his decade-long career with the Super Eagles, Yakubu scored 21 goals in 58 appearances—a tally surpassed only by Rasheed Yekini, Segun Odegbami, and Victor Osimhen.
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