Minister of Sports Celebrates Rashidi Yekinni On His Posthumous Birthday

Minister of Sports Celebrates Rashidi Yekinni On His Posthumous Birthday

By Niyi Busari

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare has described former Super Eagles striker, late Rashidi Yekinni as one of the greatest Nigeria's footballers ever, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

Sunday Dare poured encomium on the highest goal scoring player for Nigeria on his posthumous birthday, had it been he is alive, the former Victoria Setubal of Portugal striker would have turned 56 on Wednesday.

Scoring 37 goals in 58 appearances for Super Eagles Rashidi Yekinni hold the record of the highest scoring player seven years after his death. Rashidi who was born in Kaduna in 1963 died in Ibadan in 2012. He started his football career at UNTL Kaduna in 1981 before he joined Shooting Stars (3SC) in 1983, here he scored 45 goals in 53 appearances.

From Shooting Stars of Ibadan, he was snapped up by Abiola Babes and also player for African Sports of Cote d'Ivoire, Victoria Setubal Portugal, Olympiakos Greece, FC Zurich of Switzerland to mention but few.

He returned back to the Nigeria League and featured for Julius Berger FC of Lagos in 2002/03 season and ended his career at Gateway United of Abeokuta in 2005.

He is the first player to score for Nigeria at the FIFA senior World Cup. Yeking as he is fondly called, scored 164 professional goals in 253 appearances.