Rashidi Yekini, the all-time top goal scorer and great Nigerian football player, is celebrating his 60th birthday with a Google Doodle. Yekini had to work as a mechanic and welder to make ends meet as a young man, therefore his road to stardom was paved with hardships.
“Today’s Doodle celebrates Rashidi Yekini, an iconic Nigerian footballer known as the ‘Goalsfather’ for his remarkable ability to score past the goalkeeper,” read the caption alongside a biography of the Kaduna, Nigeria, born striker. On this day in 1963, he was born in Kaduna, Nigeria.”
Talent scouts watched him start his adventure, and in 1981 he signed a professional contract with UNTL FC in Kaduna, which signaled the beginning of an incredible odyssey. Yekini went on to play for the Shooting Stars, where he scored 45 goals in 53 games, leaving a great legacy.
His football career took him far beyond Africa, as he played for teams like Sporting Gijon, Olympicos, Victoria Setubal, and Zurich. In the end, he went back to Nigeria to play for Gateway United and Julius Berger.
Because of his momentous goal in the FIFA World Cup in 1994, Yekini will always have a special place in the hearts of Nigerians. He scored Nigeria’s first-ever World Cup goal in the team’s 3-0 triumph over Bulgaria, clinging to the net in an unforgettable moment of celebration.
With 37 goals under his belt, Rashidi Yekini remains the most successful goal scorer in Nigerian history. He was bestowed with the prestigious title of African Footballer of the Year in 1993.
Yekini tragically died on May 4, 2012, at the age of 48.
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