Google Doodle Celebrates - Rashidi Yekini's 60th Birthday
Rashidi Yekini is a famous Nigerian football player who was a forward who was known as the "Goalsfather" because he could sneak shots past the custodian. Today's Doodle is in honour of him. He was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, on this day in 1963.
At the start of his life, Yekini had a hard time because he was homeless and poor. He worked as a welder and a mechanic to make money, but his real dream was to play football. A lot of scouts saw him play right away, and in 1981, he joined his first football team, UNTL FC in Kaduna.
The skilled striker then played for the Shooting Stars and scored 45 goals in 53 games, which was really amazing. In 1993, he was named African Footballer of the Year for his amazing goal-scoring skills. He was the first Nigerian player to win this honour. He helped the Shooting Stars get to the finals of the African Champions Cup the next year.
He played football for teams in Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Greece, among other places. The Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) was given to the player with the most goals in the league during the 1993–94 season for the Portuguese team Vitória Setúbal.
Yekini helped the Super Eagles, Nigeria's national team, get into the 1994 World Cup. They played Bulgaria on June 21, and Yekini made it a great game. He scored the first goal of the game and Nigeria's first goal in the World Cup. He was so happy and proud that he ran into the net and grabbed it with both arms while cheering and crying tears of joy. Many people think it's one of the most famous goal celebrations in football history, and it was the idea for today's Doodle art.
His next job was to play for the Super Eagles for a little more than 14 years. In 1998, they had another chance to win the World Cup. He played 58 games for Nigeria and scored 37 goals. He still holds the record for most goals scored for the country.
Have a great birthday, Rashidi Yekini!