Jay-Jay Okocha 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.
28 Facts About Jay-Jay Okocha
2.
Jay-Jay Okocha is regarded as one of the greatest football players from Africa.
3.
Jay-Jay Okocha played across multiple leagues, starting his career at Enugu Rangers in the Nigerian Professional Football League before moving to Borussia Neunkirchen in Oberliga Sudwest, Germany's third division in July 1990.
4.
Jay-Jay Okocha's parents lived in Iwo local Government, Osun State, Nigeria.
5.
The name Jay-Jay was passed down from his elder brother James, who started playing football first; his immediate elder brother, Emmanuel was called Emma Jay-Jay, but the name stuck with Okocha instead.
6.
Jay-Jay Okocha began playing football on the streets just like many other football stars, usually with a makeshift ball.
7.
Jay-Jay 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.
8.
Jay-Jay Okocha 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.
9.
Yeboah and Gaudino later left for England, while Jay-Jay Okocha stayed until the end of the season when Frankfurt were relegated to the 2.
10.
Jay-Jay Okocha acquired Turkish citizenship and chose the name Muhammed Yavuz while playing for Fenerbahce.
11.
Jay-Jay Okocha has served as a mentor, at the time, for young Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho during his time in Paris.
12.
Jay-Jay Okocha joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer after leaving PSG in the summer of 2002 after the FIFA World Cup.
13.
Jay-Jay Okocha 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.
14.
Jay-Jay Okocha however was not able to contribute greatly to Hull's promotion campaign due to fitness and constant injury problems, playing only 18 games and scoring no goals.
15.
In 1996, Jay-Jay 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.
16.
Jay-Jay Okocha again joined the Super Eagles in the 2000 African Cup of Nations co-hosted with Ghana.
17.
Jay-Jay Okocha 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.
18.
Jay-Jay Okocha made a return to the Super Eagles in his testimonial against an African select side in Warri.
19.
Jay-Jay Okocha is still remembered by Fenerbahce fans as one of the legends of the club and country.
20.
Jay-Jay Okocha was known for his confidence and trickery with the ball, technique, creativity, flair, close control, and dribbling skills, as well as his turn of pace and his use of feints, in particular the stepover and his trademark turns.
21.
In late 2014 Jay-Jay Okocha was added to the FIFA football game series as a "Legend" which honours his years as a great footballer.
22.
On 21 February 2015, Jay-Jay Okocha was elected as the Chair of the Delta State Football Association.
23.
In June 2019, it was reported that Jay-Jay Okocha had been charged with alleged money laundering in Scotland.
24.
Jay-Jay Okocha has served as a football pundit African sports broadcaster, Supersports since 2019, providing analysis for major tournaments, including the African Cup of Nations and the European championships.
25.
On 14 November 2021, Jay-Jay Okocha played in a charity match as part of a team of Bolton Wanderers Legends against the current Bolton first team with the match helping to raise money for the Mother of Bolton player Gethin Jones, who had been diagnosed with Motor neuron disease.
26.
Jay-Jay Okocha is from Anioma, a sub-group of the Igbo people.
27.
Jay-Jay Okocha's older brother Emmanuel is a former footballer who played for the Nigerian national team.
28.
Jay-Jay Okocha has a nephew, Alex Iwobi, who plays for Everton and Nigeria.