Get the latest Boro stories straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Enter your email Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Yakubu was with Middlesbrough for little more than two years but his 27-month stay was certainly eventful.

It coincided with a remarkable period in the club’s long history that saw Boro reach a major European final.

On the pitch, the powerful Nigerian scored 25 league goals over two seasons and formed part of a formidable forward line that also included the likes of Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Massimo Maccarone.

His departure did leave a sour taste, with Yakubu joining Everton just a couple of weeks into his third season with the club after putting in a controversial performance in a fixture at Wigan that left few in doubt of his intention to engineer a move to Goodison Park.

Be that as it may, the events of August 2007 won’t overshadow the player’s contribution at Boro.

And now he’s making a comeback - of sorts!

(Image: Evening Gazette)

Yakubu, who officially retired in November, will be getting his boots out of the loft, dusting them down and pulling them back on to take part in the Non-League Challenge Legends match at Blackwell Meadows, Darlington, on Sunday, July 29.

The hosts will take on the Marathon Bet Non-League Challenge Legends team managed by England World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst that will include Yakubu, Julio Arca and George Boateng .

The Yak’s looking forward to getting back out on the grass and also returning to the North-east.

“In some ways it’s a long time since I left Middlesbrough but in other ways it feels like yesterday,” he told Teesside Live.

Boro first tried to sign Yakubu in 2004 but Portsmouth, then a top flight side, wouldn’t sell.

Memorably, he proved his potential by scoring four goals for Pompey in a 5-1 win over Steve McClaren’s men on the final day of the 2003/04 season.

“It was a great game, I scored four goals,” said Yakubu, recalling that sunny afternoon at Fratton Park. “It was a great feeling to score against such a good team like Middlesbrough. They really wanted me to join them but Portsmouth wanted me to stay for another year.”

Boro eventually got their man a year later, confirming his capture just hours after securing another season of UEFA Cup final by drawing dramatically at Manchester City.

“Middlesbrough came in a second time and that’s when I went,” he said.

“It’s a nice feeling when a club wants to sign you, especially when they had already been knocked back once.

“It was great that Steve McClaren wanted to sign me. At that stage Middlesbrough were bigger that Portsmouth and in football you have to move one step at a time.

“Joining Middlesbrough was a great step at the time and when Steve McClaren wanted me I didn’t think twice.

“The fee was £7.5m and nowadays that would be £50m! It was a lot of money then and it’s still a lot of money. I had a great relationship with him and it was a shame he left to become the England coach.”

Yakubu’s arrival ensured Boro would have a formidable forward line going into the 2005/06 campaign.

“When you have competition for places it’s really good for the club,” said the man who scored 13 Premier League goals that season and 12 more the next.

“We had myself, Mark Viduka, Jimmy and Massimo so that was great for Middlesbrough. Four strikers in one squad - it brings the best out of people. I really enjoyed myself at Middlesbrough.

“When I joined Boro the ambition was to play in Europe every season and, in my first season we got to the final. I’ve got great memories of my time with the club.

“ George Boateng was a good friend when I was at Boro and still is, we keep in touch four or five times a months. I also got on well with the young lads, Stewart Downing, Tony McMahon and James Morrison. They were young lads and they just wanted to play football, we had a great spirit.”

Boro may have lost the 2006 UEFA Cup final 4-0 to Sevilla but their heroic trek to Eindhoven included sensational comeback wins over Basel and Steaua Bucharest.

On both occasions, McClaren’s men went 3-0 down in the tie before scoring four without reply to progress.

“Steaua was unbelievable,” said Yakubu. “Steve McClaren just came into the dressing room at half-time and said ‘we’ve got nothing to lose, we have to go with four strikers, just go out and play with no pressure whatsoever’.

“It was unbelievable what happened - a miracle. Even now when I watch the goals on YouTube it’s hard to believe we did it. We got to the final and we didn’t think that would happen so that final was a bonus.”

It’s easy to forget that the 2005/06 season was one of great highs and lows.

A 4-0 loss at home to Aston Villa led to one fan throwing his season ticket at manager McClaren.

But there were also memorable results such as a 4-1 home win over Manchester United and a 3-0 hammering of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea that included the goal Yakubu regards as his best in a Boro shirt.

“When we beat Chelsea at home and the goal I scored was probably my best for Boro, probably because it was against John Terry,” he said.

“We beat most of the big teams at home and it’s important in the Premier League to win at home.”

After the Seville defeat, McClaren took charge of England with club captain Gareth Southgate replacing him in the hotseat.

Yakubu thought the skipper adapted well and has been hugely impressed with the job he’s done with England.

“When you look at Gareth when he was the captain he would talk to the players, he was a calm presence and always wanted the players to be happy,” he said.

“He will become a great manager. To take England to a World Cup semi-final was unbelievable.”

One thing’s for certain, Yakubu has no regrets over leaving Boro to join Everton.

“Middlesbrough was a great time for me,” he said. “My move to Everton was to progress another step.”

It will be interesting to see if the 35-year-old still retains his lethal finishing skills when he takes on Darlington but he’s talking the talk.

“I am looking forward to the match, I am still training and I’m still fit - you will see! I train every day and I’m raring to go.”

:: The MarathonBet Non-League Challenge Legends match takes place at Blackwell Meadows, Darlington, on Sunday, July 29.

The game kicks-off at 2pm and tickets can be bought in advance from www.tickettailor.com costing £10 for adults with concessions available.

Darlington won the right to stage the match - and a £20,000 prize - thanks to Reece Styche’s goal celebration in the game against Chorley in January.

After netting he raced from the penalty area to a large pile of snow near the main stand and dived head first into the icy mound soon to be followed by several team-mates.

That was enough for Darlington to win the Marathonbet Non-League Challenge Campaign, which identifies the best goal celebration in non-league football.