Former English international, Carlton Cole has revealed that former Nigeria’s Super Eagles skipper, Austin Okocha can be described as one of the most intelligence footballers from the continent of Africa.
According to the former Chelsea star, who made his debut for the England national team on 11 February 2009 in a friendly match against Spain, Okocha can be compared to any footballers in the world because of his level he played in and he could not have played at that level if he is not highly intelligent.
Speaking on the issue of Black players been hit with the stigma of being just muscle, Cole said black players are not only muscle but they also show highly level of intelligence.
“I hated the stigma that black players were just muscle. When you talk about how muscular a player is, it is black players who get that.
“They are known for being stronger than everyone else, known for their power and not their technical ability or footballing intelligence,” Cole said.
Speaking further, the former West Ham United said the like of Okocha and Paul Pogba can a good of example of a Black intelligent players.
“Athletically, Black are advanced and do have quick players but that doesn’t mean we haven’t got intelligent ones, too.
“When I was playing, we would start to see players coming from Africa – good midfielders such as Jay-Jay Okocha. He had flair but also lots of football intelligence. You can’t play at the level he did – and in the position he did – if you don’t have that.
“Look at Paul Pogba now. He is intelligent, unbelievably skillful and has got the tricks but I often see just that he is big, strong, powerful and quick. But he is not actually overly quick, he is a technical player,” Cole added.
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