Augustine Azuka Okocha
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.
1973
Enugu, Nigeria
Nigerian
Borussia Neunkirchen
Saarland Cup: 1989–90, 1991–92
Oberliga Südwest: 1990–91
Fenerbahçe
Prime Minister’s Cup: 1998
Atatürk Cup: 1999
Paris Saint-Germain
Trophée 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
He played across multiple leagues, starting his career at Enugu Rangers in the Nigerian Professional Football League before moving to Borussia Neunkirchen in Oberliga Südwest, Germany’s third division in July 1990. He would play in the Bundesliga, Turkish Süper Lig, French Ligue 1, English Premier League, EFL Championship, Qatar Stars League, and the Indian Super League before his retirement in 2012.
Okocha joined Eintracht Frankfurt in December 1991, where he linked up with many well-known players including Ghanaian international striker Tony Yeboah and later Thomas Doll. He continued to shine for the German side, one highlight being a goal he scored against Karlsruher SC, dribbling in the penalty box and slotting the ball past goalkeeper Oliver Kahn even going past some players twice.
Okocha joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe for approximately £1 million following Eintracht Frankfurt’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga. In his two seasons with the team, he amassed 30 goals in 62 appearances, many of them coming from direct free kicks, which became something of a trademark for him at the club.
In 1998, French side Paris Saint-Germain spent around £14 million to sign Okocha, making him the most expensive African player at the time. During his four year stint with PSG, he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals.
Okocha joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer after leaving PSG in the summer of 2002 after the FIFA World Cup. His debut season, despite being hampered by injuries, made him a favourite with the Bolton fans, with the team printing shirts with the inscription Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice. He steered the team away from relegation with seven goals, including the team Goal of the Season in the vital league win against West Ham United.
After just one season in Qatar, Football League Championship side Hull City signed Okocha on a free transfer in 2007, after the player had been linked to Real Salt Lake and Sydney FC.
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 Pelé.
Spouse – Nkechi Okocha
Children – Ajay Okocha and Daniella Okocha
Siblings – Emmanuel Okocha, Renee, Zara
Nephew – Alex Iwobi
https://guardian.ng/life/jay-jay-okocha-the-super-eagles-legend/ accessed 14/04/2022
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/05/okocha-made-difficult-things-look-easy-%E2%80%95-shearer/ accessed 14/04/2022
https://www.premierleague.com/players/2209/Jay-Jay-Okocha/overview accessed 14/04/2022
https://www.planetfootball.com/nostalgia/tribute-amazing-jay-jay-okocha-great-bolton-team/ accessed 14/04/2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-Jay_Okocha accessed 14/04/2022
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jay-jay-okocha-quotes accessed 14/04/2022
