On May the 4th, Nigeria lost an iconic sporting hero.
As Rashidi Yekini’s death was confirmed, a plethora of rumours surrounding the reason for his death spread throughout the world.
Suggestions that he suffered from depression were made during the later years of his life. Suspicions were further aroused by the Nigerian police refusing to investigate Yekini’s death.
At just 48, it is well documented that Yekini kept himself fit even after retiring from football which makes his death even more incomprehensible.
After being named African footballer of the year in 1993, he led Nigeria to success in the 1994 African Nations Cup, ending the tournament as the top goalscorer. In the same year he topped the goal scoring charts in the Portuguese league with Vitoria Setubal.
Yekini scored 37 goals in 58 apperances for Nigeria making him their record top goalscorer in the process. The highlight of his career came during the 1994 World Cup where he scored Nigeria’s first ever World Cup goal against Bulgaria.
This spell in his career was a far cry from his hardships as a child. Born into extreme poverty and spending much of his childhood sleeping on the streets, Yekini rose to international stardom with the Super Eagles during a career that covered two decades.
In his personal life, Yekini chose to shun the media spotlight and refused many interviews during his career. After retiring from football in 2005, his preference of his own company started to alarm his family members and the few close friends he kept in touch with.
It remains to be seen if one of Africa’s greatest son’s will get the honour he deserves after he gave so much to his homeland or whether his death will ever be explained to satisfaction of his fans.
Watch Yekini’s goal at the 1994 World Cup