Former Juventus star rates Super Eagles legend as world’s most skillful

The debate on who is the most technically gifted footballer the world has ever seen will likely go on till the end of times

Former Ghana international and captain Stephen Appiah has named Nigeria and Super Eagles great Austin Okocha as one of the most skilfull players he has seen play football.

Okocha’s talent was undeniable, even in a generation with at least a magician in every top club.

Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo de Lima, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo are some of the finest technicians to have ever kicked a football.

While no one will possibly ever be rated above Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho Gaucho, even the ex-Barcelona hero holds Okocha as his idol.

Appiah, the first Black Stars captain to lead Ghana to the World Cup, enjoyed a brilliant career playing with and against the world’s best from 1995 to 2012.

Despite his many exploits at Udinese, Parma, Bologna, and Juventus, where he won the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana, Appiah insists he has not seen many better than ex-PSG maestro Okocha.

In a question and answer session on Twitter, the former Hearts of Oak midfielder was asked, “Aside Ronaldinho, who’s the most skilled footballer you know?”

A question to which Appiah responded: Jay Jay Okocha.

Arguably Nigeria’s greatest player, Okocha was named the BBC Africa Player of the Year two times. He was also a seven-time winner of the Nigeria Player of the Year and a one-time Premier League Player of the Month.

Okocha won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and was the top scorer and best player at the Afcon ten years later.