SO GOOD HE WAS NAMED TWICE
Muhammed Yavuz may not sound familiar but I bet Jay Jay Okocha sure does.
He began playing football on the streets just like many other football stars, usually with a makeshift ball he once said whenever he got a ball was a bonus.
Where it all began
He started his professional career with Enugu rangers in 1990 and produced many spectacular moments which endear him with the locals including one where he rounded off and scored a goal, against experienced Nigerian goalkeeper Willy Okpara in a match against BCC Lions.
Fate
He went to Germany to see his friend Binebi Numa was playing in the Third Division for Borussia Neunkirchen, and one morning Okocha accompanied Numa to training, where he asked to join in. The Neunkirchen coach was impressed with Okocha's skills and invited him back the next day before offering him a contract.
The famous goal
As a kid there was myth that okocha dribbled entire team 3 types before scoring khan thank God for youtube🤦🏾♂️
Jay signed for Eintracht Frankfurt in 1991 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. The goal was voted Goal of the Season by many football magazines, and also voted as 1993 Goal of the Year by viewers of Sportschau (an ARD German TV sports programme.
Fenerbahçe
Okocha acquired Turkish citizenship and chose the name Muhammed Yavuz while playing for Fenerbahçe
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.
Ozil recently said okocha was his idol.
Paris Saint-Germain
If you go to news-stand in Nigeria many will argue with you Okocha taught Ronaldinho all his skills 😂😂, while that is false the more experience Jay jay served as mentor to an upcoming bundle of talent in R10.
During his four-year stint with PSG, he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals
Bolton
Jay jay skills 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. This was voted Bolton's best Premier League goal in a fans vote in 2008.
Jay jay was constantly causing headaches to premier league team SAF had to make special plans for him everytime the met but still finds a way to make mess of them.
Hull city
Okocha played for Hull city wearing jersey number 44.
He 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. Hull still succeeded in winning promotion to the Premier League, for the first time in their 104-year history.
International career
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.
Produced many spectacular moments that still endears him to Nigeria audience till date.
The other side of the maestro
Despite his ability, he was also known for being inconsistent.
Infact his team Emeka Ezeugo Blames Okocha For Eagles 2-1 Loss To Italy In ‘94 World Cup
He said jay jay loses the ball 75 percent of the time that he engages in fruitless dribbling and taking needless shot where he could have just passed 🤦🏾♂️.