Former Super Eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha was given a legendary FIFA Award ahead of the 2026 World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 52-year-old represented Nigeria at three World Cup tournaments (1994, 1998 and 2002). However, he was without a goal or an assist in all three editions.
Still, his memory lives on in several Nigerian Football fans. He might not have found the back of the net, but Okocha was an entertainer through and through, so much so that he holds the record for most dribbles completed in a FIFA World Cup game.
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Jay-Jay Okocha receives the superior FIFA Award
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was presented with a retroactive “Superior Player of the Match” award.
The initiative was coined by Michelob ULTRA and football content platform Copa90 to honour standout individual performances from the initial World Cup tournament down to 2002, where the official Man of the Match award was introduced.
The 1994 AFCON winner took to his Instagram page yesterday to unveil the award, thanking the collaborators of the intiative.
“Hello, this is JJ Okocha. I’m about to unveil this special award being given to me by FIFA,” the ex-Fenerbahce midfielder said.
“It was given to me for winning the Superior Man of the Match in a World Cup game, Nigeria versus Spain 1998.
“Special thank you to Michelob ULTRA and Copa90 for this amazing recognition. I’m so honoured to receive it,” he concluded.
Okocha was given the award for his standout performance against Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Nigeria scored either side of Raul Gonzalez and Fernando Hierro's goals.
While Okocha didn't have a direct impact on the goals scored at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, France, he played a crucial role as Mutiu Adepoju and Sunday Oliseh's long-strike grabbed the limelight against Javier Clemente's Spain side.
