Rashidi Yekini

Rashidi Yekiny

Personal information
Date of birth	(1963-10-23)October 23, 1963
Place of birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Date of death	May 4, 2012(2012-05-04) (aged 48)
Place of death	Ibadan, Nigeria
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1981–1982	UNTL Kaduna	?	(?)
1982–1984	Shooting Stars	?	(?)
1984–1987	Abiola Babes	?	(?)
1987–1990	Africa Sports	?	(?)
1990–1994	Vitória Setúbal	108	(90)
1994–1995	Olympiacos	4	(2)
1995–1996	Sporting Gijón	14	(3)
1997	Vitória Setúbal	14	(3)
1997–1998	Zürich	28	(14)
1998–1999	Bizerte	?	(?)
1999	Al-Shabab	?	(?)
1999–2002	Africa Sports	?	(?)
2002–2003	Julius Berger	?	(?)
2005	Gateway	26	(7)
International career
1984–1998	Nigeria	58	(37)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.

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.

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, 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, his celebration after netting becoming one of the iconic images of the tournament) and the 1998 FIFA World Cups.

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

External links

• Template:Zerozero profile
• Stats at ForaDeJogo Template:Pt icon
• BDFutbol profile
• Rashidi Yekini at National-Football-Teams.com