Rashidi Yekini Explained

Rashidi Yekini
Birth Date:23 October 1963
Birth Place:Kaduna, Nigeria
Death Place:Ibadan, Nigeria
Height:1.91m
Position:Forward
Years1:1981–1982
Clubs1:UNTL Kaduna
Years2:1982–1984
Clubs2:Shooting Stars
Caps2:53
Goals2:45
Years3:1984–1987
Clubs3:Abiola Babes
Years4:1987–1990
Clubs4:Africa Sports
Years5:1990–1994
Clubs5:Vitória Setúbal
Caps5:114
Goals5:91
Years6:1994–1995
Clubs6:Olympiacos
Caps6:4
Goals6:2
Years7:1995–1996
Clubs7:Sporting Gijón
Caps7:14
Goals7:3
Years8:1997
Clubs8:Vitória Setúbal
Caps8:14
Goals8:3
Years9:1997–1998
Clubs9:Zürich
Caps9:28
Goals9:14
Years10:1998–1999
Clubs10:Bizerte
Years11:1999
Clubs11:Al-Shabab
Years12:1999–2002
Clubs12:Africa Sports
Years13:2002–2003
Clubs13:Julius Berger
Years14:2005
Clubs14:Gateway
Caps14:26
Goals14:7
Totalcaps:253
Totalgoals:164
Nationalyears1:1984–1998
Nationalteam1:Nigeria
Nationalcaps1:62
Nationalgoals1:37

Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the all-time top goalscorer for his nation.[1]

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 besides his own.[2]

Yekini scored 37 goals as a Nigerian international footballer, and represented the nation in seven 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 in 1993.[3] [4]

Club career

Yekini was born in Kaduna, of Yoruba origin.[5] After starting his professional career in the Nigerian league, he moved to Ivory Coast to play for Africa Sports National, and from there he went to Portugal and Vitória de Setúbal where he experienced his most memorable years, eventually becoming the Primeira Liga's top scorer in the 1993–94 season after scoring 21 goals;[6] the previous campaign he had netted a career-best 34 in 32 games to help the Sadinos promote from the second division, and those performances earned him the title of African Footballer of the Year once, the first ever for the nation.[7]

In the summer of 1994, Yekini signed for Greek club Olympiacos, but did not get along with teammates and left soon after. 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;[8] he successively played with FC Zürich, Club Athlétique Bizertin and Al-Shabab Riyadh, before rejoining Africa Sports. In 2003, aged 39, he returned to the Nigerian championship with Julius Berger FC.[9]

In April 2005, 41-year-old Yekini made a short comeback, moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway United FC.[9]

International career

Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria in 62 appearances,[10] Yekini is the national record goalscorer. He was part of the team that participated in the 1994 (where he netted Nigeria's first-ever goal in a World Cup, in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria, his celebration after scoring, crying while holding the goal's net, became one of the iconic images of the tournament[11]) and the 1998 FIFA World Cups.

Additionally, Yekini helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia where he also topped the goal charts and was named best player of the competition.[12] He also participated at Olympic level in Seoul 1988.

International goals

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yekini goal.[10]

List of international goals scored by Rashidi Yekini
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 6 April 1985 Nairobi, Kenya 3–0 3–0 1986 World Cup qualification
2 20 April 1985 Lagos, Nigeria 2–0 3–1 1986 World Cup qualification
3 23 June 1985 Abidjan, Ivory Coast 1–1 Friendly
4 26 June 1985 Bouake, Ivory Coast 1–1 Friendly
5 14 March 1988 Rabat, Morocco 1–0 3–0 1988 African Cup of Nations
6 5 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria 1–0 1–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
7 8 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria 1–0 1–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
8 12 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria 2–0 2–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
9 27 July 1991 Lagos, Nigeria 1–0 7–1 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification
10 3–1
11 4–1
12 6–1
13 14 January 1992 Dakar, Senegal 1–0 2–1 1992 African Cup of Nations
14 2–0
15 19 January 1992 Dakar, Senegal 1–0 1–0 1992 African Cup of Nations
16 25 January 1992 Dakar, Senegal 2–1 2–1 1992 African Cup of Nations
17 10 October 1992 Lagos, Nigeria 3–0 4–0 1994 World Cup qualification
18 4–0
19 20 December 1992 Pointe-Noire, Congo 1–0 1–0 1994 World Cup qualification
20 25 April 1993 Lagos, Nigeria 1–0 4–0 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification
21 2 May 1993 Abidjan, Ivory Coast 1–0 1–2 1994 World Cup qualification
22 3 July 1993 Lagos, Nigeria 2–1 4–1 1994 World Cup qualification
23 3–1
24 24 July 1993 Lagos, Nigeria 2–0 6–0 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification
25 3–0
26 5–0
27 25 September 1993 Lagos, Nigeria 3–1 4–1 1994 World Cup qualification
28 4–1
29 26 March 1994 Tunis, Tunisia 1–0 3–0 1994 African Cup of Nations
30 3–0
31 2 April 1994 Tunis, Tunisia 1–0 2–0 1994 African Cup of Nations
32 2–0
33 6 April 1994 Tunis, Tunisia 2–2 2–2 1994 African Cup of Nations
34 11 June 1994 Ibadan, Nigeria 2–1 5–1 Friendly
35 3–1
36 21 June 1994 Dallas, United States 1–0 3–0 1994 FIFA World Cup
37 22 February 1998 1–0 2–2 Friendly

Honors

Shooting Stars

1983

Abiola Babes

1985, 1987

Africa Sports

1987, 1988, 1989, 1999

1989, 2002

1987, 1988, 1989

Al Shabab

1999

Nigeria

1990

1996

1993, 1994

Individual

1992, 1994

Personal life

Yekini married three wives. He had three daughters, named Yemisi, Omoyemi and Damilola.[13] [14]

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 and some other undisclosed psychiatric condition. He died in Ibadan on 4 May 2012 at the young age of 48,[3] the news being confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu;[15] he was buried at his residence in Ira, Kwara State.[16] He was surrounded by his aged mother, brother, wives and children, among others.[13] [14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Amos . Isaiah . 23 October 2023 . Rashidi Yekini Biography, Net Worth, State of Origin, Tribe, Wives, Children, Parents, Career . 23 October 2023 . Whoiswriter . 24 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231024004430/https://whoiswriter.com/rashidi-yekini-biography-net-worth/ . live .
  2. http://www.thetimesofnigeria.com/TON/Article.aspx?id=3652 Nigerian football legend, Rashidi Yekini, dies at 49
  3. Web site: Obituary: Rashidi Yekini (1963–2012). Yahoo Sports. 4 May 2012. 5 May 2012. 20 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140220210047/https://sports.yahoo.com/news/obituary-rashidi-yekini-1963-2012-145000846--sow.html. dead.
  4. http://allafrica.com/stories/201205050115.html Nigeria: Legendary footballer, Rashidi Yekini dies at 48
  5. Web site: Odegbami: Remembering Gangling Rashidi Yekini. https://web.archive.org/web/20191026140042/https://www.completesports.com/odegbami-remembering-gangling-rashidi-yekini-2/. dead. 26 October 2019. Complete Sports. 13 December 2019.
  6. Web site: Portugal – List of Topscorers. RSSSF. 5 April 2017. 18 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151118103450/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesp/porttops.html. live.
  7. Web site: African Player of the Year 1993. RSSSF. 31 March 2017. 24 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220924005916/https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/afrpoy93.html. live.
  8. News: El Sporting remonta dos veces. Sporting comes back from behind twice. Mundo Deportivo. es. 30 October 2005. 30 May 2014. 31 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105441/http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1995/10/30/pagina-23/1315642/pdf.html. live.
  9. Web site: Yekini set for another return. BBC Sport. 21 April 2005. 31 March 2017. 31 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170331211522/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/4470421.stm. live.
  10. Web site: Rashidi Yekini – Goals in International Matches. RSSSF. 6 August 2011. 6 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230306033401/https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/yekini-intlg.html. live.
  11. Web site: Nigeria's first-ever World Cup goal & Rashidi Yekini's five most memorable moments. Goal. 5 May 2012. 6 May 2012. 7 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120507172417/http://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3986/editorial/2012/05/05/3082248/nigerias-first-ever-world-cup-goal-rashidi-yekinis-five-most. live.
  12. News: Rashidi Yekini: 'One of the best African players ever to walk this earth'. The Guardian. 21 June 2014. 21 June 2014.
  13. News: The agony of Rashidi Yekini's three-year old daughter. Premium Times. 2012. 10 August 2017. 10 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810091018/http://www.premiumtimesng.com/sports/5090-agony_of_rashidi_yekini_s_three-year_old_daughter.html. live.
  14. News: I want my father's death investigated — Yemisi Yekini. The Punch. 19 July 2016. 10 August 2017. 10 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810090901/http://punchng.com/want-fathers-death-investigated-yemisi-yekini/. live.
  15. News: Rashidi Yekini dead: Ex-players react. Tribune. 4 May 2012. 5 May 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022229/http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/front-page-articles/7296-rashidi-yekini-is-dead-survived-by-3-wives-3-children-ogunjobi-odegbami-others-react.html. 3 December 2013.
  16. News: An era ends: Rashidi Yekini buried in Kwara as hundreds weep. Premium Times. May 2012. 15 March 2015. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104542/http://www.premiumtimesng.com/sports/4958-updates_on_rashidi_yekini_s_burial.html. live.