The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), on Wednesday remembered Nigeria’s late ex-international, Rasheed Yekini, four years after his death.
The NFF shared a photo of the football legend on its verified Instagram handle with the caption “Live on our legend. (3rd Oct. 1963- 4th May 2012) #WeRememberYekini“
In a statement on FIFA’s website, the
world football governing body looked back on his memorable goal which
became historic and the subsequent celebration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),
recalls that Yekini, who is Nigeria’s highest goal scorer (37 goals)
till date, died of illness on May 4th, 2012, at the age of 48.
He entered history books after scoring
the Super Eagles’ first ever FIFA World Cup goal at the 1994 finals held
in the U.S. in the 3-0 group stage win over Bulgaria.
“Yekini, who played for several clubs in
Spain, Greece, Portugal and Switzerland, could hardly believe he had
scored and spontaneously grabbed the net, shaking it and crying in
celebration. The photo of the Nigerian international captivated the
world and even today the former striker remains a respected figure in
the global football family,” the statement added.
NAN reports that Yekini, who represented
the nation in five major tournaments, including two World Cups, was the
first Nigerian to be voted African Footballer of the Year in 1993.
He helped the Super Eagles to win the
1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, where he also topped the goal
charts and was named best player of the competition.
He also participated at the Olympic level in Seoul in 1988.
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