Rashidi Yekini was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward, known very well as the all-time top goalscorer for his nation. We will discuss the details of Rashidi Yekini’s death and also explore his cause of death.
Who is Rashidi Yekini?
Rashidi Yekini was born on October 23, 1963, in Kaduna, Nigeria, where he grew up and started his professional career in the Nigerian league.
Rashide Yekini married three wives and was blessed with the birth three daughters, named Yemisi, Omoyemi and Damilola.
The journey to the very top level for Yekini started when he moved to Ivory Coast to play for Africa Sports National, and from there he went to Portugal and 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 in the previous campaign, he netted a career-best 34 in 32 games to help the Sadinos promoted 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, Rashidi Yekini signed for the Greek club Olympiacos but did not get along with their 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.
Rashidi Yekini Career: International Career In Perspective
Rashidi Yekini has made a name for himself not only at club levels but also cemented his legacy as one of the biggest names when it comes to international football in the history of Nigeria. Rashidi Yekini was part of the team that participated in a World Cup tournament with Nigeria in 1994, where he netted Nigeria’s first-ever goal in a World Cup in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria. His celebration after scoring and 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 the best player in the competition. He also participated at the Olympic level in Seoul in 1988. Before his retirement, Rashidi Yekini scored 37 goals for Nigeria, the highest anyone has ever scored for the West African giants.
Rashidi Yekini Death Cause Explored
Rashidi Yekini died in Ibadan on May 4, 2012, at the age of 48. The news was confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu.
Rashidi Yekini was reported to be ill for an extended period of time. In 2011, news media in Nigeria began issuing reports of his failing health, and he was said to suffer from bipolar disorder and some other undisclosed psychiatric condition.
- Advertisement -Rashidi Yekini was buried at his residence in Ira, Kwara State. He was surrounded by his aged mother, brother, wives, and children, among others.
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