Words:Adedosu 'kenzy'Adekunle
The story has been on for long but as anyone who had heard anything about felt it was impossible, evidence proved otherwise. In case you have not heard, one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers, Rashisi Yekini is allegedly in dire straits as regards his sanity.
The one time 3SC, Africa Sports of Cote D’ Voire and Victoria Setubal of Portugal striker now walks the street of Ibadan barefooted, a development which has kept many people who know him from his active playing days, asking questions, Yekini is said to suffer Delusion, a neurological illness which hinges on belief that is pathological and held, despite evidence to the contrary.
Ever since people noticed this change in behaviour by Yekini, they have been worried. His neighbour near his Oni & Sons Ring Road residence in Ibadan had to cope with his attitude lately. Yekini, sources say, he has been acting strange for sometime now. He is reported to regularly talk to himself. One incident which perhaps jolted everybody,happened last year when Yekini, in the full glare of his neighbours brought his belongings and allegedly set it on fire.
It was then that those who cared a hoot about him decided to do something fast. His colleagues who played one time for the national Team were contacted. Ex-Golden Eaglet, Dimeji Lawal and popular ex- Super Eagles midfielders, Mutiu Adepoju have been of tremendous help.
Lawal is said to be a regular visitor to his home and has been very supportive. Only last month, the Nigeria Football federation (NFF) directed Adepoju to furnish them with details of Yekini’s problems with a view of helping him. Yekini scored Nigeria’s first ever World Cup goal in 1994 and has the record of highest ever goal scored for Nigeria. He also became the 1st ever Nigerian footballer to win the African Footballer of the Year crown.
Yekini live alone in his house, has a few tenants and rarely gets visitors,. Since his marriage crashed in 1994, he has refused to remarry but sources say he has 2 children who visit on holidays. Those who gave insight into the life of the football legend says Yekini had been betrayed by so many people in the past and that his recent bahaviour can be traced to the downturn of his personal life.
Yekini was born in Kaduna. After starting his professional career in the Nigerian league, he moved to Côte d'Ivoire to play for Africa Sports National. From there he went to Portugal and Vitória de Setúbal, where he experienced his most memorable years, eventually becoming the Portuguese first division's top scorer, in 1993–94, as his performances (32 matches, 34 goals) earned him the title of African Footballer of the Year in 1993, the first ever from the nation.
In the 1994 summer, Yekini was bought by Olympiacos FC, but did not get along with teammates and left. His career never really got back on track, not even upon a return to Setúbal, which happened after another unassuming spell, in La Liga with Sporting de Gijón. He successively played with FC Zürich, Club Athlétique Bizertin and Al-Shabab Riyadh, before rejoining Africa Sports. In 2003, at 39, he returned to the Nigerian championship with Julius Berger FC.
In 2005, 41-year old Yekini made a short comeback, moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway FC.
Scoring 37 goals for Nigeria's national side, in 70 appearances, Yekini is the national record goalscorer. He was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup (where he scored Nigeria's first ever goal in a World Cup, in a 3–0 win against Bulgaria) and the 1998 World Cup.
Additionally, Yekini also helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, where he also topped the goal charts, and participated at Olympic level, in Seoul 1988.
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