Regardless of what anyone thinks or the circumstances surrounding his death, one thing is apparent, Super Eagles all-time top scorer, Rashidi Yekini will forever remain a legend. Though the former Sporting Gijon forward spent his formative years in Kaduna and his last years in Ibadan, Oyo State, there was never any contention that he is not a Kwaran while alive.
He was a player I was proud to share the same state and senatorial district with. Each time, the Super Eagles needed a goal, Yekini was one player the coaches and his teammates relied on and he hardly let the team down. Sunday Oliseh most especially will always look out for Yekini as he is sure he will turn in one out of every two passes given to the striker. The gangling Yekini was never a skillful player but he surely has pace, power and precision. He was one player who knew his route to goal in the mould of the famous Alan Shearer of England and Roger Milla of Cameroun.
Though the 1993 African Footballer of The Year had hung his boots for the national team before I turned a sports journalist professionally, I was however one of the very lucky few to come in contact with the athletic forward.
My first encounter with him was as an undergraduate at the mini campus of the University of Ilorin, when Yekini while on holiday from Europe in the late 90s visited his girlfriend at the institution. He never wanted to be noticed so he waited in his car after sending another female student to go fetch his lady. Luckily, a friend sighted him from a distance and before he could move his Peugeot 505 car, we (five of us) had already gotten to him. He quickly doled out some naira notes to us and we shared the money among ourselves.
Fast forward to 2004, I had another opportunity of meeting him, this time as a reporter for the prominent football weekly; THE GAME. As a reporter covering the domestic league and national teams' matches, I had the opportunity of traveling the length and breadth of the country to watch league matches or the senior and junior national teams. So when it was announced that Yekini had joined domestic league club, Julius Berger at a time Daniel Amokachi also joined Nasarawa United, I was one of the happiest reporters. My joy stemmed from the fact that the duo were my favorite Super Eagles players while active and I started jotting down questions to ask them anytime our paths crossed while discharging my duties.
For about four weekends, I was at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, to cover the home matches of Julius Berger with the solitary intention of watching Yekini play but it was never to be as he was either injured or given some timeout after featuring in away matches. I was however fortunate to see Amokachi lace his boots for Nasarawa Utd against Shooting Stars in Ibadan. Unlike when he ran the show as a Super Eagles player, Amokachi had become cool-headed as a domestic league player and was even waiting for journalists to approach him for interview after the match in Ibadan, so I had a field day chatting with him until it was time for his team's bus to depart the stadium.
I remembered vividly how veteran sports journalist, Kayode Tijani who was then with Ben TV in London, Mike Maiyaki, the encyclopedia of football and my boss, Obafela Bank-Olemoh, who was arguably one of the best Nigerian football analysts and an unrepentant critic of the NFF and sports ministry, paid glowing tributes to the legendary Yekini each time discussion came up previous matches of the Eagles. Between 2004 and 2008 when the trio co-anchored the Coca-Cola FA Cup programme and African and World Cup programmes on NTA and private TV stations in Lagos, I cannot recollect the number of times Yekini's name came up. I worked with the veterans behind the scene and sometimes refresh their memories as a young blood in the profession. I was amazed to find out Kayode actually has the best football library in Nigeria but he never flaunted it.
It was not until 2005, when I finally had another opportunity of meeting Yekini after he was signed by ex-international, the mathematical Segun Odegbami for his newly promoted Gateway FC.
Even at 41, Yekini was a delight to watch and he tormented the defenders of the opposing team all day, he even scored a goal and was unfortunate not to have another goal credited to him. I was not too much concerned about what transpired on the pitch but the opportunity to ask the former Portuguese League top scorer some of the questions I had kept for many years.
As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, behold I could not trace Yekini as I made to come down from the press zone to the pitch. I was however fortunate to trace him to outside of the stadium where he had already stopped a commercial motorcyclist. When I approached him and informed him of my intention, Yekini pleaded with me that he was already late for Ibadan and that he will appreciate if I can meet him there during the week for the interview but I never did.
I was so sad to hear of Yekini's demise seven years after I passed up the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the legend. The interview regret aside, I however believe it will be disservice to this illustrious son of Kwara if I failed to write this piece.
Yekini, unlike many other sportsmen, never lived an ostentatious life. He was a committed footballer who never turned down invitation to the national team and he never womanised. For many years to come, the name of Yekini will remain etched in the memories of many of us.
I expect the Federal Government to name one of the sports facilities in the country after this legend but come to think of it, it will not be a bad idea for the Kwara State Government to take the lead.
