Date: 2012-05-13

The late Rashidi Yekini, who died a week ago, has been acclaimed as the best striker ever to come out of Nigeria. Many people, who followed the mercurial marksman's feat when Nigerian football was in the 1990's the dominant force in Africa and beyond attest to the fact that the Ira, Kwara State-born Yekini made goal scoring so simple that every time he was listed to feature in a game, fans expected him to make the difference. But apart from his goals, ADEYINKA ADEDIPE spoke to younger players who confessed that they learnt a lot from just watching the 1993 African Footballer of The Year.

WATCHING Rashidi Yekini moving with the ball was like seeing a lion on its way to catch a prey. He was very strong and hard to shake off the ball, but his greatest asset was knowing where to position himself at all times during a game. Yekini was every player's dream teammate. Some of the young players, who had the opportunity of playing with the former Vitoria Setubal icon, confess that they learnt a lot from him. Even those who only saw him in action for the national team say he was a role model that every striker tried to emulate.

One of such players is Sunshine Stars' Ajani Ibrahim, who played alongside Rashidi Yekini at Gateway FC in 2005. Ajani, now one of the fastest rising stars in Nigerian football, says he learnt how to become a goal machine from the gangling striker.

The winger, who admits that playing alongside Yekini was a dream come true, adds that much of what he is doing now came from the partnership with Yekini in 2005.

States Ajani: "I am a winger and it was my responsibility at that time to give Yekini the crosses to score. But I soon learnt how to score goals from him and I marveled at the way he scored either from close range or from 30 metres. He wasn't as skilful as some other strikers but he knew how to get the goals."

Apart from tapping from the goal scoring skills of the late Super Eagles striker, Ajani said playing alongside Yekini also made him a more disciplined player. "I also learnt how to become a top professional from Yekini by being disciplined. Yekini never broke camp rules and was a good influence in the team."

Ibrahim, who said, he called the goal king baba (father) while Yekini called him omo (son), stated that he would forever be grateful to the late striker for also teaching him to be religious.

"He was a devout Moslem and it reflected in the way he related with others," Ibrahim added.

Ajani's teammate, Ukeyima Akombo, who has a similar playing style with Yekini, says he actually learnt many things from the late striker, who he played against while at Kwara United.

"Yes, of course I learnt a lot from him and I even had the opportunity to play against him.

"He was a striker you cannot easily take away the ball from, and he didn't fall at the slightest touch like the modern day strikers. When he got the ball, you could never tell what he would do with it. What was, however, certain was that he would surely aim for the net from all angles," he added.

He continued: "Yekini also knew how to create space for himself, which I have also learnt to do because that will enable one to get a clear sight at goal before shooting. I have also modelled my game along Yekini's own that is why I have been able to do well every season. If any striker wants to excel, he must definitely learn from Yekini."

Another budding striker, Yakubu Azeez of Rising Stars of Akure, is full of praise for the late goal poacher. "I think he would go down in history as one of the greatest players that played for the country.

"His dedication and passion for the game is second to none and I am sure that took him to the height of his career. He was a wonderful player and I really learnt a lot from him," he said.

Azeez, who was the highest goal scorer in the Nigeria Nationwide League (NNL) last season, said he would also like to score many goals just like Yekini did for clubs and the country. "I have not scored a lot of goals like I did last season, so my aim now is to improve and to do that I must emulate Yekini in every aspect of the game," he said.

He advised clubs to make available tapes of Yekini's goal-scoring feat to strikers so that they could learn from the late Super Eagles hotshot.

To Heartland FC's Bello Musa Koformata, watching Yekini play was like going through a tutorial on how to be a good striker. The support striker, who gained prominence in the colours of Kano Pillars, notes that the confidence the late striker exhibited during games was unprecedented.

"I like the way Yekini played. He had confidence on the ball and I am sure he is an inspiration to many players who are still active. I am a support striker, but I developed the act of goal-scoring watching him play," he added.

Enyimba's Captain Ejindu, who paid glowing tribute to the goal king, said that he learnt most of the things he knew about scoring goal from Yekini. He credited Yekini's goal scoring feat to positioning and timing.

"Yekini positions himself very well in the box and that gives him the opportunity to score goals. I learnt a lot from him, I must admit," Ejindu added.

While Yekini was a role model to the upcoming strikers, some of his teammates in the heydays of the Super Eagles also confess to learning a lot from the former UNTL star.

One of such retired players is Emmanuel Amuneke, who featured alongside Yekini from 1993 to 1998.

According to Amuneke, "Yekini is one man I grew up to emulate as a player when I started watching him when he played for UNTL of Kaduna and later Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan.

"Those days we always liked to play like any player that caught our fancy and anytime I watched Rashidi Yekini, I tried to model like him.

"It gave us great motivation to see him play and as an aspiring footballer, my prayer was to be like him in everything I did as a footballer.

"At the time that I started real professional football, I always liked to see myself as Rashidi Yekini. It was a great joy for me that I wanted to emulate a great player like him. I met him in the Super Eagles in 1993 and the first match we played together was the game against Sudan at the National Stadium, Lagos.

"You needed to see me that day. A man I had come to love and respect was just by my side and we were playing together in the national team. My dream came through that day and I was happy that I did not disappoint in that game. All through the camping period, I watched him and learnt some things from him.

"I was not surprised that he achieved so much in football. He won so many laurels and was a true professional. I said he was a true professional because he was somebody that wanted to do things that would benefit everybody in the team," he stated.