Rashidi Yekini

Rashidi Yekini
Personal information
Date of birth October 23, 1963 (1963-10-23) (age 48)
Place of birth Kaduna, Nigeria
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) is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a striker.

Contents

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.

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.

References

  1. ^ "Rashidi Yekini – International Goals". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/yekini-intlg.html. Retrieved 6 August 2011. 

External links