Did You Know

The Only Nigerian Striker With Jersey No 9 To Score In Fifa World Cup Is Yekini

Rashidi Yekini still remain the highest goal scorer with 37 goals in 62 appearances for Nigerian National Team and represented the country in seven tournaments, including two Fifa World Cups. He was also named the African Footballer of the Year in 1993.

Yekini helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia where he topped the goal charts and was named best player of the competition.

He was part of the team that participated in the 1994 Fifa World Cup, where he netted Nigeria’s first-ever goal in a World Cup against Bulgaria, his celebration after scoring, crying while holding the goal’s net, became one of the iconic images of the tournament and the 1998 FIFA World Cups.

He played for several football clubs, one of his most prolific goals scoring was at Vitória Setúbal where he netted 94 goals in 128 appearances. At club side level he scored 164 goals in 253 appearances.

In 2011, he was said to suffer from bipolar disorder, depression and some other undisclosed psychiatric condition. He died in Ibadan on 4 May 2012 at the young age of 48 and he was buried at his residence in Ira, Kwara State.

Yekini married three wives. He had three daughters, named Yemisi Yekini, Omoyemi Yekini and Damilola Musidat Yekini.

All Super Eagles players to ever put on jersey No 9 at Fifa World Cup after Rashidi Yekinni, have been finding it difficult to score a single goal in the competition.

“Rashidi Yekinni still remain the only Nigerian player with jersey No 9 to score at FIFa World Cup”

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