Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo has declared his intention to play for the national team till 2018.
The Fenerbache of Turkey new signing was speaking against the backdrop of calls for his retirement from international duty.

Yobo, 29, featured for Nigeria at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, and it was expected that he would take a bow. But going by his estimation, it means he still had two more World Cups to go.

“ My manager told me that I could still play for another seven, eight years. It is all about me looking after myself.

“You know that I started early. I am fortunate that when I made my debut I kept my place in the team.
“I can understand if they say I have been there for long or I have been there for quite sometime, I will understand. But if you say I am old, then I will start wondering because it’s like I no longer understand the meaning of being old,” he said.

He called for understanding because in football things happen very fast. Said he, “in other national teams you will see players who are well past 30 and they are still playing. I think it all depends on who you bring on the table.

“Like I said, there are two different things – Yobo is playing in the national team for quite some time, but if you say Yobo is old, I disagree with this.”

The central defender, who has featured for several other European clubs like Olympique Marseille and Standard Liege, said he was only getting to the peak of his career.

“I am getting to my peak now. Apart from last season that I was injured and it was a difficult season for me, I don’t think I have lost anything.

It is just for me to be fit and if I am fit people are going to see the best of me,” offered Yobo, who has joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce on a season-long loan deal from Everton.

“I don’t know the feelings of people thinking that players are too old. They are two different things because you always need experienced players to guide the younger ones.

“We can understand it that because the national team have not been doing well recently, but you can’t just generalise. I think it has come to a point where people have to stand up for themselves when they want to play for the national team.”