Legendary Nigerian Footballer Rashidi Yekini Dead

Series of media reports have noted that Rashidi Yekini known to have scored the first goal for Nigeria in World Cup is dead. He was 49. According to Wikipedia, 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 58 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.

He was reportedly sick for a while . One of Africa’s greatest footballers, he was said to have suffered a neurological illness which hinges on belief that is pathological and held, despite evidence to the contrary.. The two-time African footballer of the year was said to have been walking the streets of Ibadan barefooted, and suffered delusions. Yekini lived alone in his house, had a few tenants and rarely gets visitors. Since his marriage crashed in 1994, he hasn't remarried but has two children who visit him on holidays. Neighbours at his Oni and Sons Ring Road residence in Ibadan,Oyo State, Nigeria say he's been acting strange for some time now, always seen talking to himself. Sources say sometime late in 2010, Yekini, in the full glare of neighbours, brought out his belongings and allegedly set it on fire.