Nigeria’s Super Eagles legend Austin ’Jay-Jay’ Okocha has revealed how he acquired the famous nickname that followed him throughout his illustrious football career.
Born Augustine Azuka Okocha, the former Nigerian attacking midfielder explained that the name originated from his childhood neighborhood, where several boys were known as Austin and needed to be distinguished from one another.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Okocha said he and his brothers spent much of their childhood playing football on the streets because they had few toys or other forms of entertainment.
He explained that because there were several boys named Austin in the neighbourhood, people began identifying him in relation to his older brother, who was also known as Jay-Jay.
“I think it started in the neighborhood where we grew up; all of us were footballers because we had no other toys; we were just on the street playing, and my two brothers played as well,” he said.
Okocha explained that the nickname initially served as a way of distinguishing him from other boys with similar names before gradually becoming associated with him.
“We had few Austins then, so to identify which Austin is which, they started calling me Austin Jay-Jay’s brother, so from there Austin Jay-Jay,” he said.
What began as a reference to his brother eventually became Okocha’s own identity, with the nickname following him as he progressed from the streets of Nigeria into professional football.
When he moved to Europe to begin his professional career, Okocha said adopting the nickname officially also made practical sense because people struggled to pronounce his birth name.
“Some people were struggling to pronounce my name, Augustine, so Jay-Jay was a lot easier, so I said I might as well adopt the name, and I put it in my passport. Officially it’s mine,” he said.
The former midfielder also revealed that despite officially adopting the nickname, he still jokingly acknowledges his brother’s role in its origin.
“I still pay royalties to my brother. It’s like he brought the good omen,” he joked.
Okocha went on to establish himself as one of the most entertaining and technically gifted footballers of his generation, playing for clubs across Europe, including Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, Paris Saint-Germain, Bolton Wanderers, and others.
His dazzling skills, creativity, dribbling ability, and flair made him a fan favorite wherever he played and helped cement his status as one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers.
The nickname became so synonymous with his career that SuperSport popularized the famous description that Okocha was “so good they named him twice.”
Credit: tvcnews.tv
