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Nigeria’s all-time highest goals scorer the late Rashidi Yekini enjoyed an illustrious football career that saw him play for IICC, Abiola Babes on the domestic scene, before moving abroad, where he starred for African Sports (Ivory Coast), Vitoria Setubal (Portugal), Olympiakos (Greece), Sporting Gijon (Spain) and FC Zurich (Switzerland). Yekini’s 37 goals in 58 appearances for the Nigeria national team remains a record to this day.
The 6ft3in striker left his mark on the continent, winning the top scorer’s award at the 1994 WAFCON, as his goals fired the Super Eagles to a second continental triumph as well as being crowned the 1993 African Player of The Year.
Yekini was also top scorer as Nigeria qualified for their first World Cup in the United State in 1994. And then the world knew him! The gangling forward guided home an excellent Finidi George cross to enter the record books as the country’s first ever World Cup goal scorer. And then his celebration thereafter, became one of the highlights of that year’s Mundial.
The fallen hero ran into the posts roaring, his arms pushed through and clasping the net to his face. It became one of the most visceral, stirring images in the history of the World Cup.
