Rashidi Yekini, a great Nigerian footballer known as the Goalsfather for his goal-scoring skill, turns 60 on Monday, and the Google Doodle celebrates his birthday.
Yekini, a football legend who was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, on October 23, 1963, is famous for his journey from a difficult upbringing characterised by homelessness and poverty to fame.
Yekini was a welder and technician before being seen by scouts, and his love of football drove him. In 1981, he signed up for his first football team, “UNTL FC,” in Kaduna. He eventually played with the Shooting Stars, compiling an amazing 45 goals in 53 games.
Yekini became the first Nigerian player to win “African Footballer of the Year” in 1983 thanks to his extraordinary goal-scoring prowess. He was essential in helping the Shooting Stars go to the African Champions Cup finals the following year.
Yekini played football not just for clubs in Nigeria but also in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Greece, Portugal, and Switzerland. Notably, while playing for the Portuguese team Vitória Setbal in the 1993–94 season, he won the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) as the league’s leading scorer.
Yekini, a prominent member of Nigeria’s national squad, the “Super Eagles,” was essential in ensuring their qualification for the 1994 World Cup. After scoring Nigeria’s first goal, his memorable celebration—clinging to the goal with both arms and crying with joy—remains indelible in the annals of football.
Yekini played in the 1998 World Cup, continuing his football career for more than 14 years with the Super Eagles, and set a record for the most goals scored by a nation with his 37 goals in 58 games.
