Rashidi Yekini Nigerian footballer, striker. Date of Birth: 23.10.1963 Country: Nigeria

Biography of Rashidi Yekini

Rashidi Yekini was a Nigerian footballer and a prolific striker. He began his professional football career in the Nigerian league in 1981, playing for UNTL from Kaduna, Shooting Stars, and Abiola Babes. In 1987, he moved to Ivory Coast and played for Africa Sports until 1990. From 1990 to 1994, he played for Vitoria Setubal in the Portuguese league. During his time with Vitoria, he played 108 matches and scored 90 goals, including becoming the top scorer of the Primeira Liga in the 1993/94 season, with 34 goals in 32 matches.

After the 1994 World Cup, Yekini was acquired by Olympiacos, but his time in the club was marred by strained relationships with his teammates, and he was forced to leave the team. From 1995 to 2003, Yekini played for Sporting Hihon, Vitoria Setubal, FC Zurich, Bizerte, Al-Shabab, and Africa Sports. However, he was unable to replicate his success with Vitoria in the early 90s in any of these clubs.

Yekini represented the Nigerian national team in 70 matches from 1986 to 1998, scoring 37 goals. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for Nigeria (as of June 2010). He participated in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and was a member of the winning team at the 1994 African Cup of Nations. He also represented Nigeria in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Yekini passed away on May 4, 2012, after a long illness. He was a champion of Africa in 1994, a finalist in the African Cup in 1984, 1988, and 1990, a champion of Nigeria in 1983, and a champion of Ivory Coast in 1989 and 2002. He was also the top scorer for the Nigerian national team, the African Cup of Nations in 1992 and 1994, the Portuguese league in 1994, and was named the African Footballer of the Year in 1993 by both CAF and Afrique Football's. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) ranked him 17th in their list of the greatest African footballers of the 20th century.