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 played for 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;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.
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;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.
In April 2005,41-year-old Yekini made a short comeback,moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway United FC.
Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria in 62 appearances,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 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.He also participated at Olympic level in Seoul 1988.
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.
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.
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 psychiatric condition.
He died in Ibadan on 4 May 2012 at the young age of 48,the news being confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu;he was buried at his residence in Ira, Kwara State.
He was survived by his aged mother, brother, wives and children.....
May his soul continue to rest in peac
From Nigeria Stories On X
I once dated this guy o may he rip.forever. witches are real .may God protect us all
ReplyDeleteDated him while he was married ooo. Tomorrow, you'll start dragging Yul and Judy.
DeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteContinue to rest in peace,legend 🙏🏻
ReplyDeleteRest on, Rashidi.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul continue to rest in peace
ReplyDeleteRest in peace yekini
ReplyDeleteContinue to rest in peace
ReplyDeleteRest on legend 🙌
ReplyDeleteWe are still waiting for the player that will equal and break his record
His name was the heat back then, may he cont to RIP
ReplyDeleteUsed to see him at Big Treat,Oluyole when I worked there. May his soul continue to rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThe name " Rashidi Yekini" is synonymous with goals...he was an epitome of football in his days. He will aways be remembered.
ReplyDeleteAm so sad to reading this, he was such a glorious child. But I think lack of parental care must have cause bcos I read that he isolated himself from family. I remember Godwin Okpara also, he is like a big brother to me when he was at Obanta football club at Ogbogb Ijebu.ode. I was very young then, am still in shock over this rape case against him bcos this guy can not hurt a fly. He always protected me . We always in contact before he was jailed. He was at the peak of his career before the rape issues comes up.
ReplyDeleteRest well yekini
ReplyDeleteA legend. RIP
ReplyDeleteMay his soul continue to rest in peace.
ReplyDelete