Rashidi Yekini facts for kids
Yekini with Nigeria in 1998
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 October 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Kaduna, Nigeria | ||
| Date of death | 4 May 2012 (aged 48) | ||
| Place of death | Ibadan, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.91m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1984–1998 | Nigeria | 62 | (37) |
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Rashidi Yekini (born October 23, 1963 – died May 4, 2012) was a famous Nigerian footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. He is known as the top goalscorer for Nigeria's national team.
Yekini's football career lasted over 20 years. He played mostly for Vitória de Setúbal in Portugal. He also played in six other countries besides Nigeria.
He scored 37 goals for the Nigerian national team. He played for Nigeria in seven big tournaments. This included two World Cups, where he scored Nigeria's first-ever goal. In 1993, he was named the African Footballer of the Year.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Rashidi Yekini was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. He started his professional career in the Nigerian league. Later, he moved to Ivory Coast to play for Africa Sports National.
Success in Portugal
From Ivory Coast, Yekini went to Portugal. He joined Vitória de Setúbal. These were his most successful years. In the 1993–94 season, he became the top scorer in Portugal's top league. He scored 21 goals that season.
The year before, he scored an amazing 34 goals in 32 games. This helped his team get promoted from the second division. Because of these great performances, he was named the African Footballer of the Year. He was the first Nigerian player to win this award.
Later Club Teams
In 1994, Yekini joined Olympiacos in Greece. However, he did not stay there for long. After that, his career became a bit more challenging.
He returned to Setúbal for a short time. He also played for Sporting de Gijón in Spain. Later, he played for FC Zürich in Switzerland, Club Athlétique Bizertin in Tunisia, and Al-Shabab Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. He then rejoined Africa Sports.
In 2003, when he was 39 years old, he came back to the Nigerian league. He played for Julius Berger FC. In 2005, at 41, Yekini made a brief return to football. He played for Gateway United FC with his former teammate Mobi Oparaku.
International Career Achievements
Rashidi Yekini is Nigeria's all-time top goalscorer. He scored 37 goals in 62 games for the national team. He played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups.
World Cup Moment
In the 1994 World Cup, Yekini scored Nigeria's first-ever goal in the tournament. This happened in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria. His celebration after scoring was very famous. He cried while holding the goal's net. This became one of the most memorable images of that World Cup.
Africa Cup of Nations
Yekini also helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. He was the top goalscorer in that tournament. He was also named the best player of the competition. He also played for Nigeria at the Olympics in Seoul 1988.
Honors and Awards
Rashidi Yekini won many awards and titles during his career.
Shooting Stars
- CAF Champions League runner-up: 1984
- Nigerian Premier League: 1983
Abiola Babes
- Nigerian FA Cup: 1985, 1987
Africa Sports
- Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1999
- Côte d'Ivoire Cup: 1989, 2002
- Coupe Houphouët-Boigny: 1987, 1988, 1989
Al Shabab
- Crown Prince Cup: 1999
Nigeria National Team
- African Cup of Nations
- Winner: 1994
- Runner-up: 1984, 1988, 1990
- Third place: 1992
- CSSA Nations Cup Third place: 1987
- CEDEAO Cup: 1990
- World Team of the Year: 1996
- African National Team of the Year: 1993, 1994
Individual Awards
- African Cup of Nations best player: 1994
- African Cup of Nations top goalscorer: 1992, 1994
- African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 1992, 1994
- CAF Golden Jubilee Best Players poll
Personal Life
Rashidi Yekini was married and had three daughters. Their names are Yemisi, Omoyemi, and Damilola.
Death
Rashidi Yekini was reported to be unwell for some time. News reports in Nigeria in 2011 talked about his declining health. He passed away in Ibadan on May 4, 2012. He was 48 years old.
His death was confirmed by former teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu. He was buried at his home in Ira, Kwara State. His mother, brother, wives, and children were with him.
See also
In Spanish: Rashidi Yekini para niños
