Argentine football legend Hernan Crespo, has described a former Nigerian Super Eagles midfielder, Austine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha as his most favourite Nigerian player.
Speaking with Fever Pitch at an event in Lagos recently, the former Argentine and Chelsea striker said he was highly impressed with Okocha’s soccer skills.
A quick and skillful playmaker, Okocha is widely regarded as the best Nigerian player of his generation and one of the greatest African players of all time.
He was known for his confidence, technique, creativity, and dribbling skills, as well as his use of feints, in particular the stepover.
Due to his skill, he was described as being ‘so good that they named him twice’ (a line immortalised in a terrace chant while Okocha played for Bolton Wanderers).
“I’ve played with several Nigerian players on the football pitch including Taribo West; though apparently, I’m still scared of Taribo.
“I’ve played against several Nigerian players on the field like Finidi George, Amokachi, Amunike, Sunday Oliseh and others. But the most impressive for me was playing against Jay Jay Okocha,” Crespo said.
Okocha is a dual Nigerian-Turkish citizen, having acquired Turkish citizenship as “Muhammet Yavuz” while playing for Süper Lig team Fenerbahçe.
