Rashidi Yekini: BIOGRAPHY

Yekini celebrates famous goal against Bulgaria in 1994 World Cup

Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian footballer who played as a striker.

His professional career, which spanned more than two decades, was mainly associated with Vitória de Setúbal in Portugal, but he also played in six other countries his own notwithstanding.^[1]

Yekini scored nearly 40 goals as a Nigerian international, and represented the nation in five major tournaments, including two World Cups, where he scored the country's first-ever goal in the competition. He was also named the African Footballer of the Year once.^[2][

Club career

Yekini was born in Kaduna. After starting his professional career in the Nigerian league, he moved to Côte d'Ivoire to play for Africa Sports National. 

From there he went to Portugal and Vitória de Setúbal, where he experienced his most memorable years, eventually becoming the Portuguese first division's top scorer, in 1993–94, as his performances (32 matches, 34 goals) earned him the title of African Footballer of the Year in 1993, the first ever from the nation.

In the 1994 summer, Yekini was bought by Olympiacos FC, but did not get along with teammates and left. His career never really got back on track, not even upon a return to Setúbal, which happened after another unassuming spell, in La Liga with Sporting de Gijón. He successively played with FC Zürich, Club Athlétique Bizertin and Al-Shabab Riyadh, before rejoining Africa Sports. In 2003, at 39, he returned to the Nigerian championship with Julius Berger FC.

In 2005, 41-year old Yekini made a short comeback, moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway United FC.

International career

Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria in 58 appearances,^[4] Yekini was the national record goalscorer. He was part of the team that participated in the 1994, where he scored Nigeria's first-ever goal in a World Cup, in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria. Yekini's celebration after scoring the goal, holding the net and shouting, became one of the iconic images of the World Cup^[5]. 

This was his only goal in the tournament. Yekini also played for Nigeria in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He didn't score.

Additionally, Yekini also helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, where he also topped the goal charts, and participated at Olympic level in Seoul 1988.

Death

Yekini was reported to be ill for an extended period of time. In 2011, news media in Nigeria begun issuing reports of his failing health, and he was said to suffer from bipolar disorder, depression and some other undisclosed neurological defect.  

 He died in Ibadan on 4 May 2012 at the age of only 48,^[2] the news being confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu.^[7]

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