Former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, has stressed that it was unjust that he never won the African Player of the Year Award during his illustrious football career.
Austin Okocha, who is widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted players to ever grace the pitch, represented Nigeria from 1993 to 2006 and played a pivotal role in the nation’s triumph in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as well as their participation in the World Cup that same year.
Over his international career, Okocha earned 75 caps and scored 15 goals, showcasing his creativity and skill in midfield.
His club career was equally impressive, taking him to several top-tier leagues across Europe and the Middle East, including stints in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, Turkey with Fenerbahce, France with Paris Saint-Germain, and England with Bolton Wanderers before he ultimately hung up his boots in 2012.
Despite numerous individual honours, Okocha fell short of claiming the African Player of the Year Award during the peak of his career.
He reflected on this disappointment during an interview with Oma Sports TV, stating, “At some point, I thought I did enough to have won it. But at the end of the day, life doesn’t always go as planned; you can’t have it all.”
He went on to express his strong feelings regarding the awards he missed, particularly recalling the 1998 edition where he finished as the runner-up to Morocco’s Mustapha Hadji.
Okocha’s near misses continued in 2002 when he secured third place behind football legends Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba, and once again in 2004, despite being named the best player at the AFCON in Tunisia earlier that same year.
“If you look at the winners from my time, I would agree that it was unfair,” Okocha insisted.
Despite not winning the award, Okocha finds solace in the legacy he has created over the years. “The most important thing for me is to be remembered for my identity,” he said. “I may not have a cabinet full of trophies, but I’ve won the hearts of many, and for me, that is invaluable.”
