Portsmouth FC hit the jackpot with £4m transfer deal - He's a Fratton Park hero | OneFootball

Yakubu joined Pompey on loan from Maccabi Haifa in 2003, helping the side to promotion before his deal was made permanent.

The 2002/03 campaign was Portsmouth's 11th successive season in the second tier, and supporters were becoming more and more frustrated as their team languished at the bottom of the division.

Harry Redknapp was hoping that in his first full year in charge of the club, he could help stabilise Pompey and in time help them push up towards the promotion places.

What followed was a season that few at Fratton Park will ever forget, as the South Coast outfit led the way for the majority before eventually lifting the title with games in hand.

It was a campaign that proved pivotal in the direction that the club would go in over the course of the following decade, with the signing of one particular forward proving to be an incredible decision by those involved with Portsmouth.

Yakubu had an incredible spell on loan with Pompey

With Pompey enjoying a strong first half of the campaign, their owner Milan Mandaric was keen to strengthen and ensure that his team were involved in the fight for promotion at the end of the season.

The Hampshire side signed Yakubu on loan from Maccabi Haifa in January 2004, and he made an instant impact, scoring three goals in his first three matches - including a brace against Derby County.

His form continued in the following months, and despite playing just 14 matches for Portsmouth in the First Division, he was incredibly tough to deal with for opposition defenders and he found the back of the net seven times in total.

Pompey romped to the title and secured their place in the Premier League for the 2004/05 season, and supporters wanted to see their powerful loanee return on a more permanent basis following his short time on loan.

It was something that Redknapp was also keen on, as Portsmouth signed Yakubu for £4m that summer as they prepared for life in the top flight.

Yakubu became a hero at Fratton Park in his two years as a permanent player

In a new league, it may have been easy to doubt whether Pompey had made the correct decision to sign a striker that had relatively little experience in England.

However, he did not show any nerves and he proved his worth immediately, scoring in just his second game in the Premier League as his team made a good start to life in the top flight, going undefeated in their first five matches.

Yakubu's form continued, and he was blossoming into an incredibly deadly forward as he ended the season with 16 goals in 37 matches as Portsmouth finished 13th - demonstrating that they belonged in the division.

2005/06 proved a bit tougher for both the player and his team, but that did not stop the former Nigeria international from reaching double figures in the Premier League once again, as he fired in 12 times in 30 matches as Pompey adjusted to life without Redknapp.

He attracted the attention of Middlesbrough in the summer of 2006, and eventually left Fratton Park for £7.5m as Portsmouth gained a healthy profit from the deal after two-and-a-half incredible years of watching Yakubu in blue.