Jay-Jay Okocha

Augustine Azuka Okocha ( ; born 14 August 1973), commonly known as Jay-Jay Okocha, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played 73 times for the Nigeria national team between 1993 and 2006, scoring 14 times, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads. He is considered as one of the greatest football players from Africa. Okocha is gifted with remarkable technique and speed, he is regarded as one of the best dribblers in history. In addition, he was also an expert in long-range shots and set pieces.
Club career
In 1990 Okocha moved as a youth player from the Nigerian club Enugu Rangers to then third division club Borussia Neunkirchen. There he made his debut as a 17-year-old in the Oberliga team . Already in his first season in Neunkirchen he caused a sensation with his dribbles and goals, sometimes from more than 30 meters goal distance in the Oberliga Sudwest. This did not go unnoticed by the then coach of league rivals Eintracht Trier, Dragoslav Stepanovic, who steered him to Frankfurt in 1992, where he first played as a contract amateur for Eintracht Frankfurt and on September 26, 1992 against Werder Bremen for the first time in the. Bundesliga accrued. He became known for sensational dribbles and made the headlines. His goal to make it 3-1 against Karlsruher SC in the Bundesliga game on August 31, 1993 was spectacular: he played around the opposing defenders in the penalty area and made goalkeeper Oliver Kahn run back and forth several times with body tricks and sudden changes of direction before he finally got the ball shot in goal. The viewers of the sports show voted this goal goal of the year 1993.
At the beginning of December 1994, the Nigerian international made headlines when he showed his solidarity with his teammates Anthony Yeboah and Maurizio Gaudino and refused special training ordered by coach Jupp Heynckes and participation in the subsequent Bundesliga game, which resulted in the dismissal of Yeboah and Gaudino. After Eintracht was relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga, Okocha played for the Turkish first division club Fenerbahce Istanbul from 1996 to 1998, during which time he accepted Turkish citizenship before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 1998 for 22 million marks.
Jay-Jay Okocha made 90 appearances (18 goals) in the 1st Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt from 1992 to 1996. In the Premier League he completed 124 games ( 14 goals) for Bolton Wanderers from 2002 and was voted BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004. At the end of the 2005/06 season, however, his contract was not extended by the "Trotters", although he was still one of the regulars. After a year in Qatar, the Nigerian finally signed a one-year contract with English second division side Hull City for the 2007/08 season. With the new club, he was promoted to the Premier League.
International career
Okocha made his official debut for Nigeria in their 2-1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier away loss against Ivory Coast in May 1993. It was not until his second cap and home debut that he became a favourite with the Nigerian supporters. With Nigeria trailing 1-0 against Algeria, in a match they needed to win, he scored from a direct free kick to equalise, before helping the team to a 4-1 win, eventually securing qualification to their first World Cup. In 1994, he was a member of both the victorious 1994 African Cup of Nations squad and the World Cup squad who made it to the second round before they lost in a dramatic match against eventual runners-up Italy.
In 1996, Okocha became a key member of an arguably more successful Nigerian side, their Olympic gold winning side at the Atlanta Games, later nicknamed the Dream Team by the Nigerian press after the USA 1992 Olympic gold winning basketball team. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup hosted by France, Okocha played for a disappointing Super Eagles side who failed to live up to expectations again reaching the round of 16, albeit with less impressive performances save for their 3-2 opening win against Spain. This did not destroy interest in Okocha, who had entertained fans with his trademark skills and dribbles and went on to be named in the squad of the tournament.
Okocha again joined the Super Eagles in the 2000 African Cup of Nations co-hosted with Ghana. He scored three goals in the tournament, two in the opening game against Tunisia, and then given a standing ovation by the nearly 60,000 attendance when he left the field.
He made a return to the Super Eagles in his testimonial against an African select side in Warri. The game featured former players Daniel Amokachi, Alloysius Agu, John Fashanu, Benjani and Sulley Muntari. Nigeria won the game 2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal after appearing for the side in the second half. In March 2004, he was named one of the top 125 living footballers by Pele.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Okocha goal.
Honours
Borussia Neunkirchen
Saarland Cup: 1989-90, 1991-92
Oberliga Sudwest: 1990-91
Fenerbahce
Prime Minister's Cup: 1998
Ataturk Cup: 1999
Paris Saint-Germain
Trophee des Champions: 1998
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Bolton Wanderers
Football League Cup runner-up: 2003-04
Hull City
Football League Championship play-offs: 2008
Nigeria U23
Summer Olympic Games: 1996
Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations: 1994; runner up: 2000; third place: 2002, 2004, 2006
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1995
Individual
Goal of the Year (Germany): 1993
Nigerian Footballer of the Year: 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; runner-up: 1996
African Footballer of the Year runner-up: 1998; third place: 2003, 2004
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (Reserve): 1998
BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2003, 2004
BBC Goal of the Month: April 2003
Premier League Player of the Month: November 2003
Africa Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2004
Africa Cup of Nations Best Player: 2004
Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year: 2004-05
IFFHS All-time Africa Men's Dream Team: 2021
References
Other websites
1973 births
Living people
Nigerian footballers
Association football midfielders
Premier League players
1994 FIFA World Cup players
1995 King Fahd Cup players
Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1998 FIFA World Cup players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Olympic medalists in football