The saying that football is all
about goals is a common expression in the world of soccer and every footballer
trains for it, strives for it and many do so with great assertiveness and
aggression thereby turning the green grass to a battle ground. Those on the
defensive side will do anything to stop an attacker even if it means pushing
knee caps or ankles out of place. Those on the attacking side will use every
trick and turn to dribble and wobble while trying to hit the back of the net.
However from one generation to
the next, players who drive the round leather further than just scoring goals
have emerged seeking to give the game a new definition. They bring life to the
game by making it exciting and entertaining and wherever they played, the crowd
sings one song as the line of club or nation, race or colour are broken and
together they celebrate their heroes. On this line up is Edison Arantes do
Nascimento best known as Pelé from Brazil, Diego Maradona from Argentina,
Ronaldo from Brazil, Zinedine Zidane from France, Abédi Pelé from Ghana, Luís
Figo from Portugal and Augustine Okocha from Nigeria. Each of these men was
unique in his way and whenever they played it mattered not whose side was
winning or losing spectators were bond by the thrill and excitement. These
great footballers belonged to the world from the moment the spotlight shone on
them. Jay Jay Okocha was celebrated as one of the best, became a household name
across the world but was never crowned by FIFA or CAF.
Born on August 14, 1973 in Enugu
Nigeria, Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is the third son to the Okochas from
Ogwashi Ukwu in Delta State and according to a one time Sports Editor with the
Vanguard Newspaper, the family is a football family with three of the brothers
suffering from a “deep tyranny of talents”. Growing up in Enugu Jay Jay as he
is fondly called, developed deep love for football and would seize every opportunity
to play with his mates or simply toss the ball alone. Early football games in
his life were mostly on the streets and anything soft enough to be kicked around
would hold for a ball.
Austin Okocha was not a regular
in his class. He was extra-ordinarily gifted and could manipulate the ball and
his opponents at will. He was one player who believed football should be
enjoyed right on the field of play and by fans watching. Jay Jay joined Rangers
in 1990 at age 16 and with deep passion for the sport he pushed his way from an
obscured rookie to become an International star, a darling to soccer fans
across the world. He was spectacular and his performance was greatly applauded
while playing for the Rangers side. Okocha however was not to be with them for
long. He went visiting his brother in Germany and did not return to Rangers.
In Germany, Jay Jay was given the
opportunity to train with his brother’s team. After an amazing and highly
impressive performance the Germans offered him a shirt with Eintracht Frankfurt
in 1992. It was while at Frankfurt that Okocha exploded and the Okocha mania became
a universal hit. Back then in Germany he became the people’s football idol and
even politicians exploited this position to their advantage. The Mayor of
Frankfurt at a time was losing elections until he enlisted the help of Jay Jay to
go with him on a few days round the city campaign. The presence of Okocha as
envisaged saved the election and the Mayor was returned by the electorate who
could not do otherwise but align with their playmaker.
He remained at Frankfurt till
1996 when he joined the Turkish giants Fenerbahçe. In a total of 60 appearances
at the club, Okocha amassed 30 goals and was part of the squad that defeated
Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League
group stage.
In 1998 Paris Saint Germain (PSG)
splashed about $24 million on him to pull him from Fenerbahçe, which made him
the most expensive Africa player at the time. After four years in France,
Okocha joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, leaving PSG in the summer of
2002. Despite injury problems in his debut season with Bolton, he steered the
team away from relegation. This earned him the captain’s armband in the next
season following Guðni Bergsson’s retirement. As Bolton’s captain Okocha led
the team to their first cup final in nine years and they finished runners-up in
the 2004 Football League Cup.
Jay Jay Okocha’s presence in
Bolton Wanderers remains an indelible part of the club’s history for he did not
only lead them away from relegation but took the club to the league of top
European clubs. The club and its supporters celebrated Okocha so much that all
fans T-shirts were printed with his name on them. They wrote “Jay Jay so good
they named him Twice” The people of Bolton, the Political and Academic
Institutions saw Okocha even after his exit from the club as one of their
greatest Ambassador. After the 2006
season, Jay Jay moved to Qatar where he spent just one season before returning
to England to sign up with Hull City in 2007. His career with Hull City was
short for he retired after the club was promoted to Premiership in 2008.
Augustine Jay Jay Okocha had a
long record on the international scene playing for Nigeria. For 13 years he was
the play maker in Nigeria football and all over Africa Jay Jay became a
household name. He made his official debut for his country in May 1993 during
the FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifiers away match against Ivory Coast. By his
second appearance in a must win match against Algeria, Okocha became a
favourite with Nigerian supporters. With Nigeria trailing behind Algeria 0-1,
Okocha scored the equalizing goal through a direct free kick which became one
of his trademarks and helped the team to a 4-1victory which secured their qualification
to Nigeria’s first World Cup appearance.
Jay Jay Okocha was at the centre
of the Super Eagles success in their 1994 Africa Cup of Nations outing and the
World Cup 1994 where they made it to second round before losing to Italy. In
1996 Okocha was part of what is today adjudged Nigeria’s most successful side,
the Olympic gold winning side at the Atlanta Olympic Games. With the exit of
Sunday Oliseh from the Super Eagles after the Africa Nations Cup in 2002, in
which Nigeria finished third Jay Jay Okocha became captain of the Nigeria
senior team. As captain he led the Nigerian Side to the 2002 World Cup
co-hosted by Korea and Japan. They played in the ‘group of death’ alongside
Argentina, Sweden and England and could not make it to the next round. Okocha
also led the Super Eagles to a third place finish in the 2004 African Nations
Cup in Tunisia. His displays all through the tournament were breathtaking and
he scored four goals including a spectacular free kick against Cameroon in the
quarter finals. Notably in the tournament also was the 1000th goal
in Nations Cup history which he scored against South Africa. He won the player
of the tournament and jointly, the Golden boot.
In 2006, the playmaker announced
his retirement from international football which took effect after the Africa
Cup of Nations in Egypt. However injury prevented him from featuring in any of
the Nigeria’s opening fixtures. His final international appearance was in a 2-1
victory against Senegal in a third place play off. As he left the field, he was
given a standing ovation by the over 60,000 spectators watching the match live
in Egypt.
His testimonial match was held in
Warri Delta State with the Super Eagles playing against an African selected
side. The game featured former players Daniel Amokachi, Aloysius Agu and John
Fashanu and current players Benjani and Sulley Muntari. The Super Eagles won
2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal when he appeared on their side in the
second half.
Okocha despite his great talent
and skills and the fact he is celebrated all over the world never won the
African player of the year. In 1998 Okocha came close but was placed second
behind Mustapha Hadji of Morocco. In 2003 he was again second this time running
behind Samuel Eto’s of Cameroon. The following year he was again nominated
alongside Samuel Eto’s and Didier Drogba and Eto’s again picked the crown.
Though on the FIFA 100, a list of
the best 125 living players nominated by Pelé of Brazil Okocha was never
nominated for the FIFA Number One. He was the only Nigerian on the list and one
of seven Africans and Asian players listed. This may seem a tall dream but fans
have continued to argue that were Okocha born in Europe or in the South
Americas he would definitely had secure the world’s number one. Others believe
that the Clubs he played affected his career that instead of moving to top
clubs to shine he spent his career building relegated clubs and pushing them to
the fore front in their various leagues.
Jay Jay got married to Nkechi in
1994 and they are blessed with two children, Danielle and A-jay. In his bid to
impact the lives of young Nigerians, Okocha has signed a contract with the
University of Bolton to offer scholarships to enterprising students from
Nigeria to study in Bolton. In 2009, ten scholarships worth £2,000 each were
awarded to young Nigerians and representatives of the University of Bolton were
in Nigeria to issue on the spot offers and discuss the scholarship
opportunities.
Patriotism is better expressed in
the things we do and more importantly those that seek the good of others around
us. This gesture by Jay Jay Okocha is worthy of emulation by all Nigerians who
truly believe in Father’s Land. Jay Jay might not have been crowned but his
legend shall be told many years to come after many crowns have fallen and their
tales forgotten.
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