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Rashidi Yekini

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Rashidi Yekini
Yekini in 1998
Personal information
Date of birth (1963-10-23)23 October 1963
Place of birth Kaduna, Nigeria
Date of death 4 May 2012(2012-05-04) (aged 48)
Place of death Ibadan, Nigeria
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1982 UNTL Kaduna
1982–1984 Shooting Stars 53 (45)
1984–1987 Abiola Babes
1987–1990 Africa Sports
1990–1994 Vitória Setúbal 114 (91)
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)
Total 253 (164)
International career
1984–1998 Nigeria 62 (37)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 1994 Tunisia
Second place 1984 Ivory Coast
Second place 1988 Morocco
Second place 1990 Algeria
Third place 1992 Senegal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward, and was mainly associated with Vitória de Setúbal in Portugal.

Yekini scored 37 goals in international matches and represented Nigeria in seven football 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.[1][2]

Club career

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Yekini was born in Kaduna, of Yoruba origin.[3] 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;[4] 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.[5]

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;[6] 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.[7]

In April 2005, 41-year-old Yekini made a short comeback, moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway United FC.[7]

International career

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Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria in 62 appearances,[8] 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[9]) 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.[10] He also participated at Olympic level in Seoul 1988.

International goals

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Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yekini goal.[8]
List of international goals scored by Rashidi Yekini
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 6 April 1985 Nairobi, Kenya  Kenya 3–0 3–0 1986 World Cup qualification
2 20 April 1985 Lagos, Nigeria  Kenya 2–0 3–1 1986 World Cup qualification
3 23 June 1985 Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Ivory Coast 1–1 Friendly
4 26 June 1985 Bouake, Ivory Coast  Ivory Coast 1–1 Friendly
5 14 March 1988 Rabat, Morocco  Kenya 1–0 3–0 1988 African Cup of Nations
6 5 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria  Egypt 1–0 1–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
7 8 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria  Ivory Coast 1–0 1–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
8 12 March 1990 Algiers, Algeria  Zambia 2–0 2–0 1990 African Cup of Nations
9 27 July 1991 Lagos, Nigeria  Burkina Faso 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  Kenya 1–0 2–1 1992 African Cup of Nations
14 2–0
15 19 January 1992 Dakar, Senegal  Zaire 1–0 1–0 1992 African Cup of Nations
16 25 January 1992 Dakar, Senegal  Cameroon 2–1 2–1 1992 African Cup of Nations
17 10 October 1992 Lagos, Nigeria  South Africa 3–0 4–0 1994 World Cup qualification
18 4–0
19 20 December 1992 Pointe-Noire, Congo  Congo 1–0 1–0 1994 World Cup qualification
20 25 April 1993 Lagos, Nigeria  Sudan 1–0 4–0 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification
21 2 May 1993 Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Ivory Coast 1–0 1–2 1994 World Cup qualification
22 3 July 1993 Lagos, Nigeria  Algeria 2–1 4–1 1994 World Cup qualification
23 3–1
24 24 July 1993 Lagos, Nigeria  Ethiopia 2–0 6–0 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification
25 3–0
26 5–0
27 25 September 1993 Lagos, Nigeria  Ivory Coast 3–1 4–1 1994 World Cup qualification
28 4–1
29 26 March 1994 Tunis, Tunisia  Gabon 1–0 3–0 1994 African Cup of Nations
30 3–0
31 2 April 1994 Tunis, Tunisia  Zaire 1–0 2–0 1994 African Cup of Nations
32 2–0
33 6 April 1994 Tunis, Tunisia  Ivory Coast 2–2 2–2 1994 African Cup of Nations
34 11 June 1994 Ibadan, Nigeria  Georgia 2–1 5–1 Friendly
35 3–1
36 21 June 1994 Dallas, United States  Bulgaria 1–0 3–0 1994 FIFA World Cup
37 22 February 1998 Kingston, Jamaica  Jamaica 1–0 2–2 Friendly

Honors

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Shooting Stars

Abiola Babes

Africa Sports

Al Shabab

Nigeria

Individual

Personal life

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Yekini married three wives. He had three daughters, named Yemisi, Omoyemi and Damilola.[11][12]

Death

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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,[1] the news being confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu;[13] he was buried at his residence in Ira, Kwara State.[14] He was surrounded by his aged mother, brother, wives and children, among others.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Obituary: Rashidi Yekini (1963–2012)". Yahoo Sports. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. ^ Nigeria: Legendary footballer, Rashidi Yekini dies at 48 Archived 8 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine; All Africa, 5 May 2012
  3. ^ "Odegbami: Remembering Gangling Rashidi Yekini". Complete Sports. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Portugal – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  5. ^ "African Player of the Year 1993". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  6. ^ "El Sporting remonta dos veces" [Sporting comes back from behind twice] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 30 October 2005. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Yekini set for another return". BBC Sport. 21 April 2005. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Rashidi Yekini – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Nigeria's first-ever World Cup goal & Rashidi Yekini's five most memorable moments". Goal. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Rashidi Yekini: 'One of the best African players ever to walk this earth'". The Guardian. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  11. ^ a b "The agony of Rashidi Yekini's three-year old daughter". Premium Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  12. ^ a b "I want my father's death investigated — Yemisi Yekini". The Punch. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Rashidi Yekini dead: Ex-players react". Tribune. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  14. ^ "An era ends: Rashidi Yekini buried in Kwara as hundreds weep". Premium Times. May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
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