Jay Jay Okocha Will be part of the Stephen Appiah Led World XI that will face Asante Kotoko on Wednesday 8 June in Kumasi and play the Black Stars in Accra on 11 June for the Vodafone Unity Match in a bid to promote peace ahead of the upcoming General Elections in Ghana.
Sportscrusader.com highlights the exploits of all Icons expected in Ghana next month.
Austin Okocha – Nigeria
Augustine Azuka Okocha “Jay-Jay” Okocha born 14 August 1973 is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
A quick and skillful playmaker, who is widely regarded as the best Nigerian player of his generation and one of the greatest African players of all time, Okocha was known for his confidence, technique, creativity, and dribbling skills, as well as his use of feints, in particular the stepover.
Due to his skill, he was described as being ‘so good that they named him twice’ (a line immortalised in a terrace chant while Okocha played for Bolton Wanderers).
He is a dual Nigerian-Turkish citizen, having acquired Turkish citizenship as “Muhammet Yavuz” while playing for Süper Lig team Fenerbahçe.
Okocha never won the African Player of Year award, becoming arguably the best player never to win the award despite coming second twice in 1998.
He did however win the inaugural BBC African Footballer of the Year and the successive one, becoming the only player to retain the award and win it more than once.
In 2004 he was listed in football legend Pelé’s FIFA 100 (a list of the greatest 125 living players of all time).
In 2007 he was voted number 12 on the greatest African footballers of the past 50 years list, on a poll conducted by CAF to coincide with their 50th anniversary.
In 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Okocha was named Nigerian footballer of the year and he followed these honours with being named 1996 Nigerian footballer of the year runner up and 1998 African Footballer of the Year runner up.
One of the finest jugglers of the ball, Okocha was listed as a member of the 1998 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team and in 2003, 2004 won the BBC African Footballer of the Year as well as the April 2003 Goal of the Month (in England).
The former PSG attacking midfielder in November 2003 won the Premier League Player of the Month accolade and two years later was named 2005 Bolton Wanderers footballer of the year and named among FIFA 100 best footballers of all time.
The former Hull City playmaker won the African Cup of Nations in 1994 and Afro-Asian Cup of Nations in 1995 and in 1996 Okocha was an integral member of the Gold winning Olympic Football squad of Atlanta 1996 in the United States.
Meet Your Vodafone Unity Match Icons - Jay Jay Okocha
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