Rashidi Yekini at 60: Google Doodle celebrates Super Eagles greatest striker

The Google Doodle posthumously remembered Super Eagles of Nigeria striker Rashidi Yekini on his 60th birthday.

The Google Doodle on Monday, October 23, 2023, celebrated Rashidi Yekini’s 60th birthday.

Yekini is a renowned Nigerian football player known as the Goalsfather for his goal-scoring expertise.

Yekini was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, on October 23, 1963, which makes him 60 today.

His remarkable journey from a difficult upbringing filled with homelessness and poverty to football glory is well celebrated.

Motivated by his love of football, Yekini first worked as a mechanic and welder before scouts took notice.

Rashidi Yekini club career
He played for the Shooting Stars after joining his first football team, “UNTL FC,” in Kaduna in 1981.

Yekini became the first player from Nigeria to win the title of “African Footballer of the Year” in 1983 thanks to his outstanding goal-scoring acumen.

He was instrumental in getting the Shooting Stars to the African Champions Cup finals the next year.

Yekini featured for football teams in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Greece, Portugal, and Switzerland.

During his time with the Portuguese team Vitória Setúbal, he was notable for becoming the league’s top scorer in 1993–94.

Rashidi Yekini with the Super Eagles
Yekini was an important member of the national team, the “Super Eagles,” and he helped Nigeria qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

He is forever marked in football history for his famous celebration of scoring Nigeria’s first goal—clutching the net with both arms and crying with happiness which was represented in the Doodle by Google.

Yekini played in the 1998 World Cup for Nigeria and after spending more than 14 years playing football with the Super Eagles he set a record of 37 goals in 58 games