I can't be writing about the legends in the game and I would overlook Augustine "Jay Jay" Okocha. I've written a few about others but none about our indigenous Jay Jay. He was so good they named him twice and that was what the commentators and the press kept saying about him in his active days.
Jay Jay is so skillful and he would leave you in awe. He might not be a good finisher because he wastes too many chances due to his playfulness but one of the many things I admire about him is the ability to caress the ball and be creative with the ball. He knows the kinds of passes to give for every occasion. He knows when to play it long when to play it short, when to ridicule an opponent and when to entertain the fans.
His story would always capture the heart of anyone who listens or reads it. His elder brother was the professional then and he popped in, into one of his training and showed his skills. That was how he got recognized and a lot of people got to know him. I love his flair on the ball and how his whole body moves with the ball. Every part of his body seems flexible the way I see it because there is nothing too hard for him to pull off.
A lot of people said he taught Ronaldinho so many tricks and Ronaldinho once mentioned that he learned a lot from Jay-Jay Okocha. Of course, it's normal for teammates to learn from each other but I'm not sure it's how everyone is making it sound. The thing is, Okocha was a talented football and anyone would feel honoured to have learnt one or two things from him just as I am sure, he learnt from others too, even from Ronaldinho in his PSG colours.
I followed him so much during his Bolton Wanderers days and being the captain of that team then, it played against him in some ways because that was the excuse he gave Sir Alex Ferguson when he approached him to join Manchester United then. He said he couldn't leave and let down his team being the captain of Bolton and I think that was around the time Manchester United went for Carrick or so.
I wished he joined because he would have been better rewarded and recognized for his talents while also racking up the assists since he is an expert at picking out players. He scored 18 goals for Bolton after playing for them 144 times. He got more goals in PSG colours with 20 goals but only played 112 times. He got 25 goals when he played in Eintracht Frankfurt but turned up 116 times. His best goal-scoring for a team came when he played for Fenerbahce as he racked up 32 goals in 76 appearances. It was only in Hull City he didn't score and the moment he got them up into the Premier League, his contract was terminated.
His record was going well without a red card until he got one for Hull City. His record is still impressive and any striker would dream of having that despite being a Midfielder. He played 491 times and scored 101 goals with 52 assists. He got 26 yellow cards in the process with only 1 red card to his name.
I still enjoy watching him play in charity matches and there was one that was played and despite being around 45 years old then, he bossed the midfield and Samuel Eto'o had to joke by signalling to the bench that they should substitute Jay-Jay Okocha since he is causing his team so many problems.
His name wasn't even Jay Jay, he adopted the name because it belonged to his brother. His name is Augustine Okocha but the Jay Jay adds a nice ring to it. Any player would still wish to have the career he had and his loyalty cannot be questioned too which was why he didn't abandon Bolton back then. He helped them to escape relegation in his first season. He said it was obvious he didn't do his research before joining Bolton from PSG but his love for football kept him and changed his mentality that he had to stay extra years after that.
His goals against Oliver Khan would always rank the best so far due to the patience, the skills and the finishing he applied. I couldn't stop watching the goal back then as he made Oliver Khan look so ordinary.
He didn't play for the big clubs but he had such an amazing career where he just enjoyed his football. That's the stuff legends are made of.
Thank you for your time.
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Jay jay is indeed a great player, he works well with the team and entertain his fans very well.
Absolutely a legend of the game.
From the moment I saw the tweet, Jay Jay came to mind. What a sight! The man is a legend.
I absolutely love him. Very skillful and I love how he caresses the ball.