Yakubu - once upon a time of Portsmouth and Everton amongst others - has told the fascinating tale of how close he was to becoming a player in 2008.

The former Nigeria international scored 95 goals in 252 Premier League appearances — and to this very day is the fifth highest African goalscorer of all time. (178), (112), (104) and Emmanuel Adebayor (97) are the only African players to have scored more goals in the English top-flight than Yakubu.

Arriving in England in 2003 when he joined Portsmouth, the now 42-year-old made an instant impact at Fratton Park. In 14 league appearances on loan with Pompey, Yakubu netted seven times; earning him a permanent move to the south coast club. Yakubu continued to shine for Portsmouth before he joined Middlesbrough for a couple of years between 2005 and 2007.

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Everton then followed for 'The Yak', as he was known amongst supporters, and the striker ended up spending four seasons at Goodison Park. Yakubu scored 25 league goals for the Toffees in 82 appearances, but it all could have been so different just one campaign into his spell with the Liverpool-based club.

Chelsea came calling for the Nigerian in 2008 but an injury he suffered set him back almost a year. A dream move to Stamford Bridge was on the cards for the striker but torrid luck with injuries prevented him ever switching to west London.

"I was very, very close to signing for Chelsea in 2008, and then I got injured," Yakubu said when speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes' 'Gaffer of all Accas'. "Everything was spot on and looked like it was going to happen, but I got injured and couldn't play for 11 months. That's my 'wow' moment, which I look back on, really. I felt like I was on fire at the time, and the move to Chelsea was pretty much there for me.

"I can remember it all so clearly, you know, playing against Tottenham. After around 10 minutes, I went up for a ball with Ledley King and just felt something pop in my calf. By the time I got in with the physio, I wanted him to massage my leg, because it felt quite tight. I couldn't move. The physio asked if I'd had a serious injury before, to which I replied no, because I hadn't.

"'I'm sorry, my son, you're going to be out for a very long time' [the physio said]. I was thinking maybe two or three months, and then I'd be fine. [The physio said] 'nine to 10 months.

"My agent was going crazy; he was desperate to make everything perfect within three months, but nothing could be done. I was in the dressing room crying, because that was my dream; to play for Chelsea, and then that injury came. I totally understand why some players don't want to play when they've got potential moves lined up, you know?

"Of course, when you're going through moments like that in your career, time just goes so slowly. I watched so much football; I never stopped watching football; Premier League, League One, League Two, even non league stuff... my friends would come over and call me crazy. They were so surprised that I knew all of these players' names, but it was just something I did to pass the time.

"I tried to buy time, too. You know, sometimes I'd go to bed really late, like three o'clock in the morning, and then I'd wake up around midday, because I felt like a day was gone, and so I was one step closer to playing again.

"Rehab was tough; there was so much repetition, and whenever I got to the training ground, my teammates were gone. Sometimes it would just be me at the training ground, and I'd be going crazy.

"I came back after 11 months and had to leave Everton, because I just wasn't getting a proper run of games. Leicester came in for me, and while didn't want me to go, I didn't want to just sit on the bench, not playing.

"When you're coming back from a serious injury like that, it's crazy, because mentally you're just not OK. You're so keen to get back playing again, and training with your teammates. But you're constantly thinking about whether or not you're going to be alright; whether it's going to happen again.

"When I was coming back from my Achilles injury, I had to change my game for a while. I loved to keep the ball, but I was scared of it happening again. I didn't have the confidence to play how I'd usually play.

"That only comes with time; people need to remember that, when players are returning from these long-term injuries; you might be fully fit, but mentally it's still a struggle, coming back, dealing with the fear of the same thing happening again."

After his four-year stay on Merseyside, Yakubu then left Everton to join Blackburn Rovers in 2011. He then had spells in China and Qatar before returning to England to play for Reading in 2015. However, his spell in Berkshire did not last long before he flew to Turkey to join Kayserispor.

Just over midway through the 2016/17 season, Yakubu came back to England to represent Coventry City but played just three times because of a hamstring injury. A few months later, he announced his retirement from football.