BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Both Pele and Nigeria’s all-time goal king, Rashidi Yekini are now at the great beyond. They thrilled the football audience while their playing career lasted.
Football legend, Pele of Brazil was a special guest of honour at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final match, which pitched Nigeria against Zambia.
At the pre-match ceremony, perspective observers may have noticed the special attention Pele gave to Rashidi Yekini when he was having handshake with the players.
Pele could be seen giving Yekini more that the traditional handshake. It turned to a hug and the rubbing the Nigerian player’s head.
There are certain attributes both Pele and Yekini share in common. Well known is the fact that both have goal-scoring instincts. That may explain why Pele gave that attention to Yekini.
But lesser known is the fact that both players were born on 23 October date and thus shared common birthdays.