The American multinational technology company Google paid tribute to Nigerian football icon Rashidi Yekini on his posthumous 60th birthday with their infamous “Google Doodle” on Monday.
The Google Doodle is an icon on the search engine’s homepage used to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, famous events, and legends across different walks of life.
Monday’s Doodle, which the technology company set up on their homepage, is embedded with a link that showcases important facts and gives a short tribute to the late Yekini, popularly called ‘The Goalsfather’.
“Today’s Doodle celebrates Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, who is remembered for being the top goalscorer of the nation and widely considered one of the best Nigerian athletes of all time,” it read.
Today, we’re honoring the legacy of Rashidi Yekini on his 60th birthday with a special Doodle. Nigeria’s all-time top striker, his passion and iconic World Cup goal celebration left an indelible mark on the world of football.⚽️????????????#RashidiYekini60 #GoogleDoodle #AfricanLegends pic.twitter.com/hOSVi5JCLo
— Google in Africa (@googleafrica) October 23, 2023
Yekini, who passed away in May 2012, still maintains the record as the top scorer for the Super Eagles with 37 goals in 58 appearances.
The former Nigeria international made his debut for the Eagles in 1984 and scored the nation’s first-ever goal at the FIFA World Cup in his maiden appearance in 1994.
The fearsome striker won the African Footballer of the Year award in 1993, earning him the honor of being the first Nigerian player to achieve such a feat.
He led Nigeria to triumph in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, finishing as the top scorer with five goals and winning an award as the best player of the tournament.
The Doodle showcases his infamous celebration in Nigeria’s first game at the World Cup when he scored the first goal in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria. Yekini clutched onto the net and mumbled out words with deep emotions, and many football fans and experts around the world acknowledge that moment as one of the best ever in the round-robin game.
One of the greatest goalscorers the continent of Africa has ever witnessed, Yekini played across the world in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Greece, and the great Nigerian No. 9 will forever be remembered as one of the nation and continent’s greatest exports.
