Former Portsmouth and Everton forward Yakubu retires

Football - Reading v Middlesbrough FA Barclays Premiership - The Madejski Stadium - 19/8/06 Middlesbrough's Aiyegbeni Yakubu celebrates scoring their second goal Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Couldridge Livepic NO ONLINE/INTERNET USE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE +44 207 298 1656.

(Reuters) - Former Portsmouth and Everton forward Yakubu Aiyegbeni has retired from professional football on his 35th birthday.

Yakubu, who also played for Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers, made 250 Premier League appearances and scored 96 goals in a career spanning 20 years and featured three times for fourth-tier side Coventry City this year before being released.

"I would like to officially announce my retirement from professional football today," Yakubu told Sky Sports on Wednesday.

Football - Huddersfield Town v Reading - Sky Bet Football League Championship - John Smith's Stadium - 14/15 , 24/2/15 Reading's Yakubu Aiyegbeni Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Clifton EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

The powerful striker scored 21 goals in 57 appearances for Nigeria and took part in four Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 2010 World Cup.

"The Yak... is 3rd best all time scorer of the senior national team. Thank you for the memories," the Nigerian Football Federation tweeted.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)