Google honours Super Eagles legend, Rashidi Yekini with a Doodle on his 60th post-humous birthday

Google Doodle has honoured Nigerian football legend, Rashidi Yekini with a Dodle to mark his post-humous birthday. The tech giant says this was part of its plan to celebrate the iconic superstar on what would have been his 60th birthday. Yekini was born on this day in 1963, in Kaduna, northern Nigeria.

“Today’s Doodle celebrates iconic Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, an accomplished forward nicknamed the “Goalsfather” for his ability to sneak shots by the keeper,” Google said in a statement made available to Technext.

Google went on to recount the striker’s journey during his time on earth, noting that the beginning of his life was difficult as he faced homelessness and poverty. To make money, his first jobs were as a welder and mechanic, but his true goal was to pursue football. He soon began playing in front of scouts and in 1981, he joined his first football club, UNTL FC, in Kaduna.

The talented striker played for the Shooting Stars next, scoring an impressive 45 goals in 53 games. His spectacular scoring abilities earned him the title of African Footballer of the Year in 1983, and he was the first Nigerian player to receive this honour. The next year, he helped bring the Shooting Stars to the finals of the African Champions Cup.

Outside of Nigeria, he also played for football clubs in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Greece. While playing for a Portuguese team called Vitória Setúbal, he won the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) for being the league’s top-scoring player in the 1993-94 season.

Rashidi Yekini helped Nigeria’s national team, nicknamed the Super Eagles, qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Nigeria played Bulgaria on June 21st, and Yekini made it a game to remember. Not only did he score the first goal of the game, but also the first World Cup goal for Nigeria. Overcome with excitement and pride, he ran into the net and clutched it with both arms while cheering and crying tears of joy. Many consider it one of the most iconic goal celebrations in football history and it served as inspiration for today’s Doodle artwork.

He went on to play for the Super Eagles for a little over 14 years, including another shot at the World Cup in 1998. In his 58 games for Nigeria, he scored 37 times, and to this day holds the record for most goals scored for the country. Rashidi Yekini died on May 4, 2012, after a protracted illness.

Aside Rashidi Yekini, here are other Nigerians that have been post-humously celebrated

Aside from the legendary Rashidi Yekini, several other Nigerians have been celebrated by Google with a Doodle. On April 14, 2021, Google unveiled a Doodle to posthumously mark the 74th birthday of Nigerian music legend and highlife maestro Oliver de Coque, one of Africa’s most prolific recording artists of all time.

The Doodle, created by Lagos-based graphic artist and illustrator Ohab TBJ, pays tribute to the guitarist who died in June 2008 at the age of 61, following a heart attack. The creative inspiration was drawn from De Coque’s love for the guitar, his energetic performance style, his unique music brand, and his love of tradition and culture.

On October 25, 2019, Google celebrated the Nigerian icon Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti with a Google Doodle on her 119th birthday in recognition of her achievements.

Born in the year 1900, Frances Abigail Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was the grandchild of slaves in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state. She was one of the first women to receive an education in Abeokuta Grammar School after which she travelled to Cheshire in England to continue her education. She was the mother of Afrobeats legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

On January 2, 2020, about six years after she died, Google celebrated Nigeria’s Amaka Igwe with a doodle on her post-humous birthday. Igwe is being celebrated for her achievements and pioneering work in the Nigerian entertainment and video-making industry. Igwe was the brain behind the popular TV series, Checkmate.

Before she got in the limelight for her work in ‘Checkmate’ she had participated in other creative works which included directing “Barber’s Wisdom” during her days at the University of Ife. She taught people the ‘atilogwu’ dance as an A-level student at Idia College in Benin City.

Other Nigerians post-humously celebrated include legendary Nigerian writer and author, Buchi Emecheta on her 75th post-humous birthday (July 22, 2019); legendary Seun rere singer, Christy-Essien Igbokwe on her 58th post-humous birthday (November 11, 2018), Stella Adadevoh of the Ebola era, and legendary Nigerian footballer and coach, Stephen Keshi.