Abubakari Yakubu

Abubakari Yakubu (; 13 December 1981 – 31 October 2017) was a Ghanaian footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder but also as a defender.

Club career Born in Tema, Yakubu joined Ajax at only 17, going on to remain in the Netherlands for one full decade. He made his Eredivisie debut on 19 April 2000, playing 50 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Den Bosch and finishing his first season with only five matches.

Yakubu played in an average of 15 league games in the following four years, going on to make 89 competitive appearances and helping the Amsterdam side to two national championships and the 2001–02 edition of the Dutch Cup.

In the ensuing off-season, Yakubu signed permanently with the latter club for four more years, being intermittently used during four seasons and released in the summer of 2009. In early October, he had an unsuccessful trial with 1860 Munich from Germany.

International career Yakubu played for Ghana at every youth level, having represented the nation at under-17, under-20 and under-23 levels. He earned 16 full caps, being part of the Ratomir Dujković-led side at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in which they suffered a group stage exit.

Honours Ajax Eredivisie: 2001–02, 2003–04 KNVB Cup: 2001–02 Johan Cruyff Shield: 2002