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Sports News of Friday, 14 August 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

NFF, Frankfurt, Bolton Wanderers hails Okocha at 47

Austin Okocha Austin Okocha

The Nigerian Football Association, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bolton Wanderers and the entire sports fraternity sent birthday wishes to ex-Nigerian midfielder, Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha as he turns 47 years.

In a tweet via Twitter, The Nigerian Football Association wrote:

“Happy birthday to the magical @IAmOkocha. Too good he was named twice. Have a good one legend!” The NFF wrote.

Bolton Wanderers described Okocha a magician.

“Happy 47th Birthday to the Nigerian Magician, @IAmOkocha. 

“Have a great day, Jay-Jay!”

While Eintracht Frankfurt hailed the former Eagles skipper as a true legend of the club.

“Today: 47th birthday of a true Eintracht legend!”

Born in Enugu, Enugu State, Okocha joined 1. FC Saarbrücken, but stayed only a few months with the Bundesliga 2 side before a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the German top flight.

In 1996, Okocha joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe for approximately £1 million following Eintracht Frankfurt’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga. In his two seasons with Fenerbahce, he scored goals in 62 appearances.


In 1998, French side Paris Saint-Germain spent £14 million to sign Okocha, making him the most expensive African player at the time. During his four-year stint with PSG, he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals before joining Bolton Wanderers.

At international level, Okocha was a member of the Flying Eagles squad that featured at the 1993 U-20 AFCON in Mauritius, where the team crashed out at the group stage.

He made his Super Eagles debut in 1993 in a 2-1 away defeat to Cote d’Ivoire during the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

He helped Nigeria qualify for the 1994 World Cup and was part of the Eagles squad that won the AFCON in the same year.

Aside the 1994 World Cup, he featured at the France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002 editions.

Also, Okocha played a key role as the U-23 Eagles won gold in the football event of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.