The new manager of struggling Leeds United, Sam Allardyce has named retired Nigerian footballer Jay Jay Okocha as one of the best eleven players he has ever managed.
Okocha played for Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers team from 2002 to 2006. During that period, the team’s supporters saw him as a hero. His impact on the team was so much that he was named the captain of the club.
In his all-time-best eleven, Allardyce listed Okocha, Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff, and Garry Speed in the midfield. The four players were members of his Bolton team.
His favorite forwards are Nicolas Anelka and Jermain Defoe, and his favorite defense features Habib Beye, Ryan Nelsen, Phil Jones, and Patrick Van Aanholt. He selected former Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen as the goalie for the best eleven.
Jay Jay Okocha is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time and one of the most famous footballers in the world from Africa due to his dazzling skills.
Though he failed to win CAF’s best player of the Year award, Okocha won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award twice and the Nigerian Player of the Year award seven times.
In 1994, he helped Nigeria to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), two years later, he was part of the Nigerian “Dream Team” that won the Atlanta 96 Olympic gold in football.
Okocha became a cult hero at Bolton in his first season after joining the then-Premier League club from PSG in 2002. In his second season, he was given the captaincy due to his leadership skills and influence on and off the pitch.
Although he played as an attacking midfielder for Allardyce’s team and scored 18 goals in 144 games, it is unquestionable that his impressive array of skills will be remembered for a very long time.
Daily Mail quoted Allardyce as saying, “He’s so good they named him twice! The Bolton fans printed some t-shirts with that on. Even the non-Bolton supporters enjoyed watching Jay-Jay Okocha”.
