By Tunde Sanni (This Day)

The name of Rashidi Yekini, for years, rang a loud bell in Nigeria, nay soccer world. Last Friday, he died at 48. He was buried last Saturday in Ira, Kwara State. But this is one name whose echo (of the bell) will continue to be heard, long after even the music of his life would have stopped. 

By sheer dint of skill and soccer acumen, his name became a standing brand in soccer. A brand that was venerated worshipped and even adored by soccer fans. 

Many global soccer commentators had quaintly, but wrongly, interpreted Yekini to mean "Goal King" or King of Goals.  His scoring ability, even from very odd and unlikely angles and positions were legendary, and helped to define his matrix in soccer.

Surely, with his passage over the weekend, he will remain the theme of discourse for sports commentators, street gossips and media watchers. He had become an institution, but an institution that was little patronised by those in search of soccer resource.
Baba, as he was fondly called by his fans at the Liberty Stadium where he used to train, even after his football playing career allowed frustration to set in and with that he became disconnected from the entire world.

Any Nigerian on religious pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina for the yearly hajj operations would attest to the institutionalisation and the internationalisation of his name.

On the streets of the two Islamic cities, the Saudis would notice a Nigerian and always ask "where is Rashidi Yekini, where is Amokachi, where is Amuneke and lately, where is Jay Jay Okocha"?  All in reference to their goal-scoring abilities.

In one of his chats with sportswriters at the Bekandims Resorts, Ilorin after a local league match involving the defunct Gateway FC where he was starring for and Kwara United FC of Ilorin in 2003, the gangling striker never hid his sad feelings on the nation's early exit from the France '98 tournament where he said the mafia in the Super Eagles at the time, plotted against him and for that, he vowed he would never have anything to do with them and would never be where they were again in life.

His life style and pattern ever since then has been in tune with that mindset as efforts by several people including his team mates to rehabilitate him have been rebuffed by him. One of such instance was his decline of invitation to play in the exhibition game in Abuja in 2007. Those close to him knew that the decline of the invitation might have been because the organisers of the match also invited his ‘enemies' to be part of the squad.

The scoring machine was reported to be a cheerful giver, off the field. He was generous and kind to those in need, especially his siblings, his neighbours and some of the players he had been nurturing who often sought financial assistance from him.

There was a case of a pastry seller inside the Liberty Stadium called Mama Chibuzor whose children Yekini was credited to be paying their school fees. His generosity also crossed religious organisations where he singlehandedly donated money for the purchase of a set of band set for a church along Onireke area of Ibadan.

Yekini on many occasions, according to the youth club financier, Sanni, had registered youth clubs for local competitions so that they could measure their level of improvement but always warned them not to publicise any assistance he rendered to them.

"Oga Yekini used to buy us balls, pips, boots and even gave us money to register for tournaments, and that was why we took the AEFA Cup we won recently to his house" said Moroof Ogunmola who is known as Coach Milla.

Attesting to the philanthropic nature of the former Vitória de Setúbal top scorer towards young lads, Sesan Odukoya, a close confidant of Yekini, said the gangling striker was the one responsible for the education of some of the young players whose parents could not afford their schooling.

"Rashidi doesn't like to hear any noise generating from anything he does, and that is why he always ran away from media, but he always supports any young players who seek for his help.

Yekini annually paid for O'level examination of many players here especially those that trained with him at Liberty Stadium here," said Odukoya

But he soon faded from the public stage. Rarely seen and never heard of. Attempts to drag him out to the public arena often failed. He turned down press interviews, and generally began to live like a recluse.

When he formally hanged his boots from active soccer playing career, Yekini still engaged in walkouts and training sessions at the Liberty Stadium. One of his constant training mates is Dimeji Lawal of the Saudi'89 Flying Eagles which won the U-20 World Cup silver medal for the country.

When the speculations about his mental disorder spread, he reportedly withdrew from the Liberty Stadium training pitch for Molete where he later trained with a youth soccer side, Janata FC. The coach of the youth soccer side said Yekini stopped coming for training two months ago.

But his lawyer, Jubril Olanrewaju, dispelled the speculations about his mental disorder, insisting that Yekini was at his best some few days after Easter celebrations when he sighted him at a roasted plantain joint along Onireke. The lawyer claimed that he called him on the phone to enquire his mission at the joint to which Yekini reportedly responded that he was enjoying himself at the place having purchased his favourite roasted plantain with groundnut.

One of his estranged wives, Adeola Yekini, disagreed with the opinion of Yekini's neighbours in Oni and Sons Estate in Ibadan, that his death should be probed. 

Adeola, who spoke in Ibadan, dismissed the claims of the neighbours, asking them how much help they gave him when his mental condition worsened.

According to her, the family of her late husband was becoming worried about his mental state and after several pleadings with him to go for medical and spiritual solutions failed, they had to forcefully take him to a herbal home for treatment outside Ibadan. 

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has commiserated with Yekini's family, noting that the death of the striker had dealt a big blow not only to the sports circle but to the country as a whole.

In his tribute, Commissioner for Sports in the state, Mr. Dapo Lam-Adesina, stated that with Yekini's passage, Nigeria had lost one of its finest footballers and goal poachers.

In his tribute, the General Manager of 3SC Football Club Mutiu Adepoju remarked that the ex-striker would be fondly remembered for his skill and dexterity on the soccer pitch which had endeared him to the hearts of sport lovers both within and outside the country.

Former national team goalkeeper, Ike Shorounmu, noted that the death of Yekini was a bad day in the history of Nigerian football. "Don't forget that I'm close to Rashidi. I'm yet to wake up from a bad dream," he said.