Who is Zakaria Yakubu, I hear you ask?
Well, dear readers, he’s a young centre-back who Hearts have managed to lure from Swedru All Blacks. The club announced his signing on Wednesday, hence why you’ve probably seen his name crop up in the media.
But there is so much more to learn about the young player, and a wee factoid about the young prospect seems to be in order if we are to understand why the Phobians were so keen to get their man.
Here’s six things to know about the Hearts youngster.
He was born and raised in a Ashaley Botwe
Yakubu was born and raised in Ashaley botwe, a suburb of Accra. He started learning the roles with Angels United, an amateur club in his vicinity.
Sergio Ramos comparisons…because, obviously
You guessed it.
Any up-and-coming talent ends up with a like-for-like comparison, whether it’s the player’s coaches or just media hype making the call, it’s always bound to happen.
So, with him being versatile and able to comfortably play as a central defender, right-back and as defensive midfielder, the natural course of action is to draw up comparisons with one of the best defenders in the world, Sergio Ramos.
How valid those links are is somewhat debatable, but if you see ‘next Sergio Ramos’ floating around anywhere in Ghana, then presume with some certainty it’s Zakaria Yakubu.
He is not afraid of a tackle
While it’s clear the young defender is a talented tackler and composed centre-back, there’s no doubt that the inner Ramos inside of him comes out a little too often.
Yakubu loves a tackle, and his youthful exuberance takes him too far at times. He will no doubt learn to have a cooler head…unless he follows in Ramos’ footsteps.
He’s Good in Possession – Like, Really Good
Yakubu is viewed as one of the best ball-playing defenders in the Division Two league. His distribution and composure in possession are mightily impressive, and point to his history of playing in midfield as a youth player. When he doesn’t have the ball at his feet, he can often be seen chasing an opponent to the half-way line trying to get it off him, such
He passes the eye test
When you watch Yakubu play, the first thing you’ll notice is that he’s absolutely huge.
Standing at a towering 6’1, the lanky Yakubu isn’t someone who you want to face in an aerial battle. He’s dominant in the air, but still boasts surprisingly impressive agility to do work on the ground.
He might look like a hulking, old-school defender, but Yakubu knows how to mix that no-nonsense style of days gone by with a technical grace of the modern game.
He is good with the ball at his feet
Yakubu will never claim to be the best passer in the world, and he’s not given a role which requires him to be, but that’s not to say he hates having the ball at his feet.
One of his best attributes is his love for a forward pass. Whenever he gets the ball, he is always looking to get his side moving forward, and more often than not, he’s good enough to pull the pass off.
Importantly, he’s confident in possession. While he might not always complete a pass, he’s unlikely to be fazed or make a mistake. Composure is key.
His nickname is ‘Baron’
When you watch Yakubu play, you might hear his teammates call him ‘Baron’ – a nickname which has nothing to do with a barony or a political big wig
It’s actually a name which was given to him by his fans because of the way he commands his designated areas with supreme aplomb.
