If you ask the old generation of Nigerian football fans or followers about Jay Jay Okocha, they are likely to argue that whatever he did with the ball is nothing compared to what a certain Etim Esin did.
Surprising right? Indeed. Jay Jay Okocha belongs to the conversation of one of the most gifted footballers that Black race has ever produced.
Some Nigerian football fans still hold the opinion that the void Jay Jay Okocha left in the Super Eagles has not been filled 19 years after he left the national team.
Ramon Azeez, Haruna Lukman, Wilson Oruma, Mikel Obi and Jay Jay Okocha’s nephew – Alex Iwobi were pictured as replacements but none replicated the spark and magic Okocha had on the ball.
Jay Jay Okocha was such a delight to watch during his active days for club and country. Although he might have been unlucky not to play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe given his talent, he had a quite successful career and he’s regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
This post follows the story of Nigeria’s most gifted player arguably. How he became a professional footballer from being a street hawker on the streets of Enugu and other highlights of his enviable career will be covered in this post.
Jay Jay Okocha Background
Augustine Azuka Okocha otherwise known as “Jay Jay Okocha” belongs to the Anioma subgroup of the Igbo tribe in Southeast Nigeria. Jay Jay Okocha was born on 14 August 1971 in Enugu State where he spent his formative years.
Okocha came from a Nigerian middle-class family where he helped his mother sell oranges on the streets of Enugu in the mid 80s. He said he had nothing on his mind career-wise but to become a footballer even though he didn’t think of earning a living from it.
“Well, I think it started as far back as I can remember, playing on the streets, you know, because I had nothing else on my mind than to become a footballer, even though I never knew that maybe I could earn a living through playing football”
The talented midfielder came from a lineage of footballers as his two older brothers: James and Emma who started playing football in Enugu before he joined them. Emma, just like Jay Jay, played for the national team.
Jay Jay Okocha is obviously educated but details about his educational background before he travelled to Europe at the age of 17 remains sketchy.
How old is Jay Jay Okocha?
The former Super Eagles midfielder is currently 51 years old. He celebrates his birthday on August 14 every year.
Height
Jay Jay Okocha is 5 ft and 9 inches tall. His stature have him close control and balance on the ball.
Career
Jay Jay Okocha, as earlier mentioned, started playing football on the streets of Enugu before he caught the attention of Enugu Rangers, one of the biggest clubs in the country.
He revealed that he and his friends used to kick anything round just to play football.
“As far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!”
He joined Enugu Rangers in 1990 – the period where the club started struggling after its successes in the 19080s. Enugu Rangers lost to Stationary Stores 5-4 on penalties in the Cup final and didn’t get to another final that decade. Enugu Rangers best league finish that period was third in 1998.
However, Jay Okocha’s fame grew. He became even more popular after he embarrassed experienced goalkeeper Willy Opkara as he rounded him off before scoring a goal in a match against BBC Lions of Gboko.
Jay Jay Okocha’s Journey of Fate
Okocha’s football career in Europe kicked-off when he traveled on holiday to see his friend Binebi Numa in West Germany in the early 1990s. Binebi Numa played for Borussia Neunkirchen, a third division side as of that period.
West Germany had just won the World Cup in 1990, so he was persuaded to watch their teams play live. Okocha followed Binebi Numa to training on a fateful morning and was invited to training by the coach and was impressed with his skills and mastery of the ball.
Okocha was offered a contract the following day and stayed with the club for a year before joining 1. FC Saarbrücken in the second tier of the league. However, he only stayed for a few months before he joined Eintracht Frankfurt where he had arguably the best days of his career.
Jay Jay Okocha at Eintracht Frankfurt
Okocha joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 1991 and linked up with Ghanaian striker Tony Yeboah and German striker Thomas Doll.
The midfielder mesmerized not just Eintracht Frankfurt’s fans with his skills but also the entire league as he scored a decent number of goals for the club.
Okocha, Tony Yeboah and Maurizio Guadino were involved with a rift with the manager of the club Jupp Heynckes which led to their departures from the club in 1995.
While Yeboah and Maurizio Guadino left for England, Okocha stayed with the club till the end of the season and left for Fenerbahce after Eintracht Frankfurt relegated.
Jay Jay Okocha v Oliver Kahn
Okocha’s skills and goals made him popular in the league while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt. His goal against the legendary goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn where he dribbled a handful of players in the penalty area leaving Kahn confused on the goal line, was voted as the 1993 Goal of the Year by viewers of Sportschau (an ARD German TV sports programme).
Oliver Kahn who was in goal for Karlsruher SC in that match says he still feels dizzy 23 years (2016) after Okocha scored the famous goal against him.
“Exactly 23 years is the sensational goal from Jay-Jay Okocha today ago – and I’m still dizzy…”
Jay Jay Okocha in a BBC interview in 2022 revealed that the goal brought him.to limelight in Europe and gave him a career leap.
“Even now, people still talk about it. The goal changed a lot for me. It was like the goal that brought me to the limelight in Europe, you know, because it was shown in so many countries. I can only say that I am happy that it happened.”
“It ended up working out well for me, you know, but then could you have imagined what would have happened to me if I had missed?”
Okocha scored 25 goals in 116 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt before he left in 1995.
Fenerbahçe and PSG
Jay Jay Okocha joined Fenerbahce for £1m from Eintracht Frankfurt and scored 32 goals in 76 appearances for the club in just two seasons. Most of the goals came via direct free kicks which became a trademark at the club.
Okocha acquired Turkish citizenship during his two-year stint at the club and Muhammed Yavuz while playing. He revealed years later that he chose the name because of the club’s family manager and the fact that muslims revere the name, “Mohammed” a lot.
“I spent two years in Turkey, and it was a really good time for me,” Okocha said.
“People loved me very much. Our fans were amazing. When such an offer came, I took Turkish citizenship without thinking.
“I didn’t want to change my religion, but I took this name because I know that Muslims love the name Muhammad very much. I accepted this name because it is very sacred and very important to Muslims.”
“We had our facility manager, Yavuz. He was very sympathetic, and he made us laugh a lot. I asked him to give me my surname Yavuz. That’s why my name was Muhammed Yavuz.”
Jay Jay Okocha became the most expensive African footballer in 1998 after Paris Saint-Germain paid £14 million for him. He scored 20 goals in 112 matches for the French heavyweights during his four-year stint at the club.
Okocha played alongside young Ronaldinho who went on to win the FIFA Ballon D’or in 2005.
Okocha scored five goals for PSG en route to the club’s UEFA Intertoto Cup triumph alongside Aston Villa and Troyes in 2001.
Bolton Wanderers
Okocha’s time at Bolton Wanderers signalled the peak of his career even though he considered his stint at the Reebok Stadium a waste of his time as the club failed to invest and improve on the foundations of the club while he was there.
Nevertheless, he attained legendary status in the club as he led them to a league cup final in 2004 – their first in nine years where they lost 2-1 to Middlesborough in the final.
Bolton Wanderers fans fell in love with Okocha such that they printed shirts with the inscription “Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice.”
Jay Jay Okocha captained a star-studded Bolton that had players like Nicolas Anelka, Ivan Campo, Jussi Jääskeläinen, Youri Djorkaeff, Ricardo Gardner among others.
When approached by Sir Alex Ferguson to join Manchester United, Okocha declined that he couldn’t let his team down as the captain.
Jay Jay Okocha was voted as the best player to have ever played for Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok)Macron Stadium in 2017.
Okocha left the club in 2006 and played for Qatar SC and Hull City before he hung his boots.
Jay Jay Okocha Super Eagles
Okocha made his debut for the Super Eagles in May 1993 in a FIFA World Cup qualification match away at Ivory Coast which ended in a 2-1 loss.
He announced himself to the Nigerian supporters in his second match against Algeria. Okocha scored from a direct free-kick to equalize for the Super Eagles before helping team to a resounding 4-1 win over the Desert Foxes.
The victory secured Super Eagles qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States – the team’s first ever appearance.
Okocha was included in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations squad in Tunisia as the Super Eagles won their second Africa Cup of Nations title with a 2-1 win over Zambia.
Atlanta 1996
Two years later, Okocha was also part of the “Dream Team” that won Africa’s first Olympic football gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.
Jay Jay Okocha’s most outstanding individual performance arguably in the colors of the national team was at that 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.
Okocha’s skills entertained fans at the 1998 World Cup. Even though the Super Eagles crashed out in the second round, he was included in the squad of the tournament
He scored three goals at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, two in the opening match against Tunisia and one in the final against Cameroon as the Indomitable Lions won on penalties after the match ended 2-2 in regulation time.
Jay Jay Okocha as captain of the Super Eagles led the team to three consecutive third place finishes at the 2022, 2004 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Championships.
Jay Jay scored 14 goals in 73 appearances for the Super Eagles between 1993 and 2006.
CAF Player of the Year Snub
Jay Jay Okocha never won the African Player of the Year accolade on three occasions with the most controversial being the 1998 edition which Mustapha Hadji won.
Hadji had a decent outing for the Atlas Lions at the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations with a goal in each tournament.
The striker scored 5 goals for Morocco in 1998 while Okocha was named in the 1998 FIFA World Cup reserve team.
Okocha scored 14 goals in 31 matches for Fenerbache and 5 in 29 for Paris Saint Germain during that period.
However, Okocha went on to win the BBC African Player of the Year on two occasions in 2003 and 2004.
Jay Jay Okocha Style of Play
Jay Jay Okocha wasn’t just about dribbling or showing off different skills. His game also encompasses vision, technical abilities and an eye for goal.
Okocha predominantly played as an attacking midfielder or the number 10 in a two-man midfield set up where he helped in breaking down stubborn defense with his exquisite short- and long-range passes.
He also had the ability to shoot the ball from range when the opportunity arose.
Okocha was termed as the “African Maradona” and he influenced a number of players including Mesut Ozil and Ronaldinho.
However, he was often criticized for lack of tactical discipline on the pitch.
Jay Jay Okocha would probably struggle in today’s football setups as a playmaker where positional discipline is somewhat prioritized by some managers over individual show of creativity and brilliance.
Career Achievements
Club
Bolton Wanderers
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04
Nigeria
- Olympic Gold medal: Atlanta 1996
- Africa Cup of Nations: 1994
- Africa Cup of Nations Runner Up: 2002, 2004, 2006.
Individual
- Goal of the Year (Germany): 1993
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (Reserve): 1998
- Premier League Player of the Month: November 2003
- BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2005
- Africa Cup of Nations Best Player: 2004
- Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year: 2004–05
- IFFHS All-time Africa Men’s Dream Team: 2021
Net Worth
Jay Jay Okocha’s net worth according to celebrity net worth is pegged at $5m as of November 2024. Since he retired, Okocha has been actively involved in the development of grassroots football as he once organized a football camp sponsored by the defunct Oceanic Bank.
Recently, Okocha serves as brand ambassadors to various brands including betting, and liquors. He also makes guest appearances as analyst for international media outlets as an analyst.
Okocha’s talent would have earned him quite a lot of money if he had played in the current football era where players not even up to his skillset make big money moves and earn fat salaries yearly.
Jay Jay Okocha is the Chief Executive Officer of Jay Jay Okocha Group West Africa. The company specializes in Football management, real estate, electronic sales and distribution, fast moving consumer goods, bureau de change, restaurant and bar services.
Post-football Activities
Okocha was elected as the Delta State Football Association Chairman in February 2015 but could not complete his tenure as he resigned few months later.
In a recent interview, Okocha narrated that he failed woefully as chairman of the association and cited difference in ideology as one of the factors that affected his tenure.
“I failed woefully as Delta FA chairman. Didn’t complete my tenure, I walked away,” the former Super Eagles captain said.
“What I saw there was not what I expected. The place was not conducive for me to work. The people I worked with had different opinions, and the best thing for me to do was to walk away, which I did. I will be the first to raise my hand and say I did not achieve anything as Delta football chairman.
“A lot of things must be in place because I do not think the structure would allow people like us to succeed. That is the honest truth. The level of corruption in all sectors of Nigeria is too much. And if you are always around people who always have motives, it will not work.”
Okocha was involved in a court case in 2019. The former Super Eagles midfielder was charged with alleged money laundering in Scotland.
The Scottish police levelled two separate charges against him at the Aberdeen Sheriff Court. The first charge accused him of allegedly procuring, possessing, and transferring criminal property while the second charge accused him of being involved in hiding, disguising, and converting criminal property.
According to the charges, the incidents reportedly took place in 2015 but came to the attention of the court two years later.
Okocha made no plea and was released on bail during the court hearing at the Aberdeen Sheriff Court and the case was consequently adjourned indefinitely for further findings.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service formally withdrew the charges against Okocha in March 2020.
Who is Okocha’s wife?
Jay Jay Okocha is married to Nkechi Okocha. The couple have been married for decades, and they have two grown-up kids – Daniella and Ajay. Okocha and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary recently.
Jay Jay Okocha Cars
The former footballer has a decent taste for luxury cars and owns quite a number of them. Okocha reportedly owns a N500,000,000 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder and White & Black TopCar Mercedes-AMG G63 estimated to be currently worth over N130,000,000,
Social Media
Okocha is predominantly active on Instagram where she shares pictures of his activities with his over 600,000 followers.
Jay Jay Okocha could have achieved more with his career given his talent but sometimes one cannot have it all in life. Nevertheless, Okocha remains a legend of Nigerian football, an icon for the clubs he played he played for in his career and a source of inspiration for a handful of the current players home and abroad.
Okocha came at the time when his position as a playmaker was much appreciated and valued in football. Otherwise, he would have been less valued as playmakers in football continue to be endangered spices.
