PROFILE OF JAY – JAY OKOCHA

JAY – JAY OKOCHA

Augustine Azuka Okcha was popularly known and address as Jay-Jay Okocha. He was born on 14^th August 1973 in Enugu State to Mr. and Mrs. Azuka Okocha of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria.

He was a Nigerian Professional Footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. His name Jay-Jay was actually passed down from his Elder brother James, who started playing football first. His immediate Elder brother Emmanuel was also called Emma Jay-Jay, but the name stuck with Augustine.

Okocha first began playing football on the street just like many other football stars, usually with a make-shift ball. “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” (Interview with BBC Sport).

In 1990, he joined Enugu Rangers, he produced many spectacular displays including one Okpara in a match against BCC lions in his time at the club.

In March, 2012, he is due to play in the newly found Indian Soccer League and is up for auction for £351.000. He is known for his stopovers skill, technique and being “so good that they named him twice’. While playing at Superlig team fenerbahce, he became a turkish citizen as Muhammet Yaruz”.

Okocha joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992, where he linked up with many well known player including Ghanaian International Striker Tony Yeboah and later Thomas Doll. He continued to shine for the German side, one highlight being a goal he scored against Karlsruhe dribbling in the penalty box and slotting the past Oliver Kahn even going past some players twice. In 1995, Okocha, Yeboah and Maurizo Gaudino were all involved in a feud with manager Jupp heynckes which led to their depatur3 from the club.

The goal was voted goal of the season by many soccer magazines. In his two seasons with the team he amassed thirty goals in sixty appearances many of them coming from direct free kicks which had become something of a trademark for him at the club.

In 1998, French side PSG Splashed around $24 million on Okocha making him the most expensive African player at the time. During his 4-year stint with PSG he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals.

Okocha joined Bolton wanderers on a free transfer after leaving PSG in the summer of 2002 after the FIFA world cup. His debut season despite being hampered by injury made him a favourite with the Bolton fans with the team printing shirt 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 with against west ham. The next season saw Okocha receive more responsibility as he was given the captain’s armband following Gudni Bergsson’s retirement. As captain he led Bolton to their first cup final in nine years where they finished runner-up in the 2004 football league cup.

After just one season in Qatar football league championship side hull city signed Okocha on a free transfer in 2007, after the player had been linked to Real Salt Lake and Sydney FC. 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 grabbing promotion to the premier league, for the first time in their 104 year history.

Okocha made his official debut for Nigeria in their 2-1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier away loss against Ivory Coast in May 1993. It was not until his second cap and home debut that he became a favourite with the Nigerian supporters. He scored from a direct free-kick to equalize before helping the team to a 4 – 1 win, eventually securing qualification to their first world cup.

Okocha became a member of an arguably more successful Nigeria side, their Olympic gold winning side at the Atlanta games, later nick dream team by the ‘Nigeria pres after the USA 1992 Olympic gold winning basketball team in 1996. Okocha played for a disappointing super eagles side who failed to live up to expectations again reaching the round of 16, albeit with less impressive performance save for their 3-2 opening win against Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Okocha gain joined the Super eagles in the 2000 African cup of nations co-hosted with Ghana. He scored three goals in the tournament two in the opening game against Tunisia and a left-foot blast foot outside the penalty area into the top corner in the final against Cameroon. In 2002, after a disappointing nations cup where Nigeria ended up finishing third position Okocha was named Nigeria captain after Sunday Oliseh and Finisdi George were axed from the side. His first tournament as a captain came that summer in the 2002 World Cup Co-hosted by Korea and Japan.

Okocha later led the Nigeria team to a third place finish at the 2004 African nations cup in Tunisia, with some breathtaking displays scoring four goals which include a spectacular free kick against Cameroon in the quarter finals and winning the player of the player of the tournament and join golden boot winner.

Okocha is married to Nkechi in 1994 and they have two (2) children name Daniella and A-Jay. He was named-checked in M.I.A.’s single “Paper planes featuring Afrikan Boy with the lyrics” I’m a legend, just like Jay Jay Okocha”.