NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEGEND JAY-JAY OKOCHA REFLECTS ON MISSING OUT ON AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD. (PHOTO).

 Nigerian football legend Jay-Jay Okocha reflects on missing out on African Player of the Year award

Nigerian football icon Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has spoken candidly about why he never claimed the African Player of the Year award despite a distinguished career that saw him captain the Super Eagles and dazzle clubs across Europe.

Appearing on the ObiOne podcast, Okocha was asked whether his failure to secure a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs may have cost him the prestigious individual honour. He firmly rejected the idea.

“No, no, no, not really. Not really,” Okocha said.

The former midfielder acknowledged that football politics likely played a role in the voting during his era. “I mean, I can openly say now that then, of course, a lot of football politics was in place, you know,” he stated. “Because some people, some players, they played in big clubs, they won everything but…”

Okocha pointed to his own successes, including back-to-back wins at the BBC African Footballer of the Year awards. “Well, I won everything, yeah. So what do you need to win to, you know, what are the criteria?” he asked. “You know, I won BBC Player of the Year twice in a row, but I still didn’t win it.”

Despite coming close on several occasions, Okocha said he has come to terms with the outcome. “So when you look at it, some things are not meant to be,” he remarked. He stressed that the true measure of a career lies elsewhere: “And you just, the most important thing is, what did you make of your career? What did you get out of your career, you know?”

Okocha remains one of Africa’s most celebrated and influential footballers, having played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers, among others.