NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEGEND ,RASHIDI YEKINI IS DEAD

Rashidi Yekini

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Rashidi Yekini

Personal information
Date of birth	October 23, 1963(1963-10-23)
Place of birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Date of death	May 4, 2012(2012-05-04) (aged 48)
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	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	?	(?)
National team
1984–1998	Nigeria	58	(37)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Rashidi Yekini (born 23 October 1963) was a Nigerian retired footballer who played as a striker. He scored Nigeria's first goal in a FIFA World Cup. He died on 4 May 2012.He was reportedly sick for a while before passing on Friday evening and was said to have suffered a mental illness for the past two or three years. The two-time African footballer of the year was said to have been walking the streets of Ibadan barefoot at one time where he once played for 3SC

Contents [hide] 1 Club career 2 International career 3 References 4 External links

[edit] 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 FC.

[edit] International career

Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria's national side in 58 appearances,^[1] Yekini is the national record goalscorer. He was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup (where he scored Nigeria's first-ever goal in a World Cup, in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria) and the 1998 World Cup.
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.