A FORMER Premier League cult hero has left fans stunned after transforming himself into a ripped boxer.
This ex-striker announced his retirement from football on his 35th birthday, five years ago.
That was after ending his career in League One with a short spell at Coventry.
This star, who earned 57 caps for Nigeria, had also played for the likes of Blackburn, Leicester and Reading.
He kicked-off his professional career in 1997, in his native Nigeria – playing for Julius Berger.
A move to Europe happened in 1998 when he joined Israeli club Maccabi Haifa and then a switch to the big-time in 2003 came as he signed for then-Prem side Portsmouth.
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He joined following a brief loan stint where he helped the South coast side win the Championship.
He would spend two seasons at Pompey, scoring 29 times in 65 league games, before moving to Middlesbrough.
The ace scored 25 times in the league for Boro and helped them to reach the Uefa Cup Final before he moved to Everton for a four-year tenure in 2007.
He netted another 25 goals at Goodison Park to take his Premier League tally to 95 – making him the fifth-highest scoring African footballer in the league’s history.
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After a brief loan spell at Leicester, a one season stint at Blackburn followed in 2011-12, scoring 17 times in 30 games before he became one of the first star names to take his talent to China.
He was in the Far East for a year at Guangzhou R&F before joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan in 2014.
A return to England came with a seven-game stint at Reading before he headed to Turkey to join Kayserispor – failing to score in 12 games.
Ultimately, the journeyman’s career ground to a halt in 2017 as injuries ruined his time at Coventry.
The man in question, of course, is the huge fan favourite Ayegbeni Yakubu.
And “The Yak” now appears to have a new sporting love away from the beautiful game in boxing.
Yakubu recently shared a clip of himself pounding the pads, and his Instagram followers were blown away with the size of his guns and shredded muscles.
Even Arsenal legend, and former Nigeria team-mate, Kanu was wowed, writing: “Yak attack.”
Another follower added: “Yak is stacked these days.
One said: “Those arms are HUGGGEEEEE!”
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A fellow fan asked: “Looking solid brother good shape when you fighting?”
As another simply wrote: “Incredible.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
