I found out rather late in the day that today [Friday August 14, 2020] is the 47th birthday of a Nigerian football player who was “so good, the fans named him twice”.
47?
Was it not yesterday that he left the coalfields of Enugu an18 year-old unknown player in search of green pastures on the lush fields of Germany?
His story after that has become of the stuff of fairytales. He fought and dribbled his way through the difficult ranks of European football to emerge at the end of a very illustrious career as one of the most mesmerising figures in world football, defined by his extraordinary dribbling skills and the most sexy movements with the ball, weaving and dancing through tight defences.
He also regularly put on display the full array of his gifts of the most delicate of touches on the ball, and uncanny instincts to, often times, bury the ball behind a sprawling goalkeeper.
He made one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Oliver Kann to ‘eat’ the grass underneath his feet after turning him and 4 other defenders inside out, and outside in, in bewildering dribbles that left them all for dead and in a daze.
His romance and love affair with football are surreal. He was the ultimate football artist, a pure magician and flamboyant showman.
This is a sincere salutation, on behalf of all generations of Nigerian (and, indeed, all lovers of ‘the beautiful game’ in Africa and beyond) footballers to a true genius, a role model for millions of young ambitious youths around the world, and a great ambassador for football and his country.
May the Creator of the Universe continue to bless, expand, enrich, guide and protect you in all things and ways.
Congratulations and a Happy Birthday, Austin Jay Jay Okocha.
From your tennis ‘master’, Mathematical7.
5 Comments
Tot he’s not better than Muda Lawal…right Mr Shigo?
Ignorance! Did you watch Muda Lawal play?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! PA J, ONYE NASA!!!
TALES BY MOONLIGHT:
Ray Parlour of Arsenal saw hell at the hands of JJ. Every time they met on the pitch, JJ must find a way to disgrace and embarrass him. JJ would dribble the living daylights out of him.
I don’t know what happened. Perhaps Ray Parlour offended JJ in some way. When the disgrace and embarrassment became too much, Ray Parlour held a family meeting with his people, and it was decided that they should go to Okocha’s father’s compound. They went to beg JJ’s father to please plead with his son JJ to calm down, and stop the abuse and mistreatment of Ray Parlour on the pitch.
JJ’s father received them well, and offered them kola. He listened to their request, and after thinking for a few minutes, he replied them. He said it was not his place to sette this issue. If Ray Parlour and JJ have a problem between themselves, then Ray Parlour needs to go to JJ directly.
Ray Parlour got angry and refused. Angrily, the Parlour family got up and left JJ’s father’s compound. When JJ heard what happened, the already bad situation got even worse.
JJ continued to disgrace and embarrass Ray Parlour on the pitch every time they met. Till today, we don’t know what happened to start the problem between these two.
happy birthday JAY – JAY i rememebered what happened in enugu before the atanta 96 i was among the 8 C.I.C BOYS dat u gave money dat year im stil proud of you anyday anywhere continue to live your dream the sky is your limit in terms of peace sucess hapinness prosperity favour longlife good health riches wealth and above all holiness and righteousness AND FOR YOU ODEGBAMI thank you for this passionate writeup