₦airaland Forum

Finidi George

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Super Eagles

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Squatting (L-R) Mutiu Adepoju, Austin "Jay-Jay" Okocha, Finidi George, Celestine Babayaro & Garba Lawal.

Standing (L-R) Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West, Nwankwo Kanu, Peter Rufai, Victor Ikpeba & Uche Okechukwu

Jonathan Akpoborie

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Teslim Fatusi

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Johannes Bonfrere

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texazzpete: It will take intense stupidity for Okadas to be banned in Lagos.
The sheer population density...the roads cannot take the tens of thousands of vehicles that will come on the roads to cater to the 'okada' traffic.

Fashola's second term and he's yet to make water and rail transport viable enough to significantly reduce the pressure on Lagos roads...they'll take it out on the poor man as they always do.

I think this, ultimately, is the solution. Lagos State Government needs to complete the 7 rail lines that LAMATA has proposed and expand the BRT network.

Nwankwo Kanu

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Daniel "The Bull" Amokachi

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Dream Team 1 (1996 Olympic gold medalists)

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Nwankwo Kanu & Finidi George with the European Cup (Champions League)

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Super Eagles

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Squatting (L-R) Augustin Eguavoen, Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Emmanuel Amunike & Daniel Amokachi

Standing (L-R) Sunday Oliseh, Mike Emenalo, Peter Rufai (GK), Chidi Nwanu, Austin "Jay-Jay" Okocha & Uche Okechukwu

Efan Ekoku

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Uche Okafor

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Samson Siasia & Finidi George

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Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike & Uche Okechukwu

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Rashidi Yekini (the Goalsfather)

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Rashidi Yekini (born 23 October 1963) is a Nigerian retired footballer who played as a striker.

Yekini was born in Kaduna on October 23rd 1963. He started his career playing for United Nigeria Textile Limited (UNTL) in 1981-1982, before transferring to IICC Shooting Stars (1982-1984) and later Abiola Babes (1984-1987), two of the biggest clubs in the Nigerian league at that time. He was part of the IICC Shooting Stars team that won the national league in 1983. He was also part of the famous Abiola Babes team that got to 4 FA cup finals in a row, winning the cup in 1985.

In 1987 he moved to Africa Sports National in Ivory Coast. He played in the African Club Cup championship several times for Shooting Stars and Africa Sports. He played for Shooting Stars against Zamalek in the 1984 final. A memorable moment for me was when he played for Africa Sport against Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1988. Iwuanyanwu’s goalkeeper was the legendary Edward Ansah, Ghana’s first choice keeper. Yekini fired one of his famous fierce shots, which lesser goalkeepers would have avoided. Not Ansah though, who actually made the save, but was prostrate on the pitch for almost 10 minutes for his troubles.

In 1990 he moved to Portugal, playing for Vitória de Setúbal, where he experienced his most memorable years. He succeeded his Super Eagles teammate, Richard Owobokiri as the highest goal scorer in the Portuguese league (1993-1994 season) scoring 34 goals in 32 matches.

Yekini was selected for the Nigerian National team, the Green Eagles (later known as the Super Eagles), for the first time in 1984. He played in five nations cup tournaments, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994. He was the highest goal scorer at the 1992 (4 goals) and 1994 (5 goals) Nations Cup tournaments. He also played for Nigeria at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea and the 1994 and 1998 World Cups in the United States and France respectively.

His most prolific years in the national team were probably between 1991 - 1994. In 1993 he played a major role in qualifying Nigeria for the 1994 Nations cup and World Cup tournaments. Nigerians felt assured that win or lose, they would get at least one goal from Rashidi Yekini in any game he played in. He scored 4 goals in Nigeria’s 7-1 demolition of Burkina Faso at the National Stadium in Lagos on July 27 1991 in an African Nations Cup (Senegal ’92) qualifier. The game marked the debut of Finidi George who would become one of Yekini’s most consistent supplier of passes.

Yekini also made an off the field contribution to Nigeria's success in that game. An NFA official forgot the team's shorts at the training camp in Otta. The lapse was only discovered minutes before the game kicked off at the National Stadium Lagos.

Yekini suggested to the NFA that they should cut the track suit trousers with razor blades and use them for the game, rather than forfeiting the tie. The Super Eagles played the first half of that match wearing extra long shorts.

He scored two goals in Nigeria’s 4-0 demolition of South Africa on October 10th 1992 at the National Stadium in Lagos. Samson Siasia sent a high ball to Yekini who did the impossible by controlling the ball in the air, bringing it down and firing it into the goal. The other two goals were scored by Richard Owobokiri and Samson Siasia. The game marked South Africa’s first competitive match after sanctions were lifted.

Yekini scored the only goal in Nigeria’s 1-0 defeat of Congo at the Stade Municipal, Pointe-Noire, Congo on December 12th 1992. The Eagles were attacked by angry Congolese after the match.

On May 2nd 1993, at the Stade Houphuet Boigny in Abidjan, Yekini scored in Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Elephants of Ivory Coast. This game had a massive impact on the career of Samson Siasia. Rather than pass to Yekini, who was free, he attempted to score. A furious Clemens Westerhof decided to bench him after that and his replacement, Daniel Amokachi, grabbed his opportunity with both hands. Siasia was also in trouble at his club, Nantes, which didn’t want him to return to Africa for the game (there were no FIFA free days at the time). His replacement at Nantes, Japhet Ndoram, scored while Siasia was away on international duty and couldn’t stop scoring subsequently. Siasia ended up on the bench at both the Super Eagles and Nantes.Yekini also scored 2 goals in the return leg, which Nigeria won by 4-1.

At the African Nations cup in 1994, Yekini scored a wonder goal in the game against Zaire. Sunday Oliseh played a long ball from within Nigeria’s half, Yekini turned and chased the ball, lobbed it over the onrushing Zaire goalkeeper and after the ball had bounced once, headed it into the net. He took the final penalty in the epic game Nigeria vs Ivory Coast (probably the most exciting game of Tunisia ’94), winning the match for Nigeria. He was the first Nigerian to score a goal at the World Cup, when at the 21st minute in the game Bulgaria vs Nigeria at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, Texas, Yekini tapped in a cross from Finidi George. Nigeria won the game by 3 goals to nil.

Yekini won the CAF African Player of the Year award (1993) for his exploits with Nigeria and Vitória de Setúbal, the first Nigerian player to win the award. Yekini was just two goals short of equalling the record of the highest goal scorer in Nations Cup history, when Nigeria boycotted the Nations Cup South Africa 1996. Many believe that he would have surpassed the record had Nigeria participated in the Nations Cup. He is currently the third highest goal scorer in Nations Cup history with 13 goals in 5 Nations Cup appearances. Only Laurent Poku (14 goals) and Samuel Eto’o (15 goals) have scored more goals.

Yekini is also the record goalscorer for the Nigerian national team, scoring 37 goals for Nigeria's national side in 58 appearances.

Yekini starred for Nigeria at the France 1998 world cup, but he was a shadow of his former self.

In the 1994 summer, Yekini was bought by Olympiacos FC, but did not get along with teammates and left. His career never really got back on track, not even upon a return to Setúbal, which happened after another unassuming spell, in La Liga with Sporting de Gijón. He successively played with FC Zürich, Club Athlétique Bizertin and Al-Shabab Riyadh, before rejoining Africa Sports. In 2003, at 39, he returned to the Nigerian championship with Julius Berger FC.

In 2005, 41-year old Yekini made a short comeback, moving alongside former national teammate Mobi Oparaku to Gateway FC.

Yekini was reported to be ill for an extended period of time. In 2011, news media in Nigeria begun issuing reports of his failing health, and he was said to suffer from bipolar disorder, depression and some other undisclosed neurological condition. He died in Ibadan on 4 May 2012 at the age of only 48, the news being confirmed by former national teammates Mutiu Adepoju and Ike Shorunmu.

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Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh & Peter Rufai with the Nations Cup trophy (1994).

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Super Eagles

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(Squatting L-R) Mutiu Adepoju, Austin Eguavoen, Rashidi Yekini, Samson Siasia

(Standing L-R) Christian Chukwu (Chief Coach), Stephen Keshi (Captain), Ruben Agboola, Thompson Oliha, Aloy Agu (Goalkeeper), Finidi George, Ajibade Babalade, Emeka Ezeugo, Clemens Westerhof (Technical Adviser)

Clemens Westerhof

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Dimeji Lawal

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Stephen Okechukwu Keshi

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Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji

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Nigeria vs Angola (August 1989). RIP Samuel Okwaraji.

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Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died of congestive heart failure in the 77th minute of a World Cup qualification match against Angola at the Lagos National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos State on 12 August 1989.



I can still remember that day. We watched the game on TV, but my dad was at the stadium as usual. Okwaraji collapsed. It took some time for the referee to realise what was going on and stop the game. The medics ran onto the pitch. An Eagles player took a look a Okwaraji and put his hands on his head. An official forced him to put his hands down. They stretchered Olwaraji from the pitch. I thought everything was ok.

Immediately after the match, my uncle, an ex-international, rang the door bell. "Where's your daddy?", he asked. "He's not back from the stadium" we replied. "Dem don kill that boy!". "But they stretchered him into the ambulance", we replied. "Which dirty ambulance? The boy is dead! Do you think they have any equipment? I saw it before I left the stadium! The boy is dead!". I went to a corner and started praying.

Alas! It was announced on the 9 o'clock news that Okwaraji had died.

Green Eagles

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I can only recognise Samuel Okwaraji and Etim Esin (I think that's Friday
Elaho beside Okwaraji, but I'm not sure).




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Coach Tunde Disu and the Eaglets

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"Chairman" Christian Chukwu

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Henry Nwosu, Rashidi Yekini and Chibuzor Ehilegbu

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Nduka Ugbade lifting the Fifa Kodak Under 16 World Championship trophy (China 1985).

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Muda Lawal

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Segun Odegbami

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Christian Chukwu receives the Nations Cup trophy from Alhaji Shehu Shagari (Lagos, 1980)

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General Yakubu Gowon (Head of State & Commander in Chief) @ Dodan Barracks with the Green Eagles team that took first position in the football event of the 1973 All Africa Games, held in Lagos.

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