Google Doodle celebrates the 60th birthday of the iconic Nigerian football player and all-time top scorer, Rashidi Yekini. His journey to stardom was one filled with challenges and poverty, as a young Yekini worked as a welder and mechanic to make money.
The doodle began with a biography of the Kaduna-born striker: “Today’s Doodle celebrates iconic Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, an accomplished forward nicknamed the “Goalsfather” for his ability to sneak shots by the keeper.
On this day in 1963, he was born in Kaduna, Nigeria.”
He started his career in front of scouts, and in 1981, he joined his first club, UNTL FC, in Kaduna, marking the beginning of a remarkable career. Yekini also joined the Shooting Stars, scoring 45 goals in 53 games.
His exploits took him beyond the continent’s shores playing for Victoria Setubal, Olympicos, Sporting Gijon, and Zurich, before returning to the country to play for Julius Berger and Gateway United.