Ex-Super Eagles Captain Breaks Silence on the reason He Never Won African Player of the Year.
The Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has revealed why he believes he never won the African Player of the Year award, despite enjoying an outstanding career.
According to a report by, the former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers midfielder made the revelation while speaking on the ObiOne podcast.Okocha dismissed the suggestion that his failure to play for one of Europe’s biggest clubs may have contributed to him missing out on the prestigious individual honour.According to the Nigerian football legend, politics played a significant role in determining the award winners during his playing days.“No, no, no, not really. Not really,” Okocha said when asked whether playing for a top European club could have improved his chances.“I mean, I can openly say now that then, of course, a lot of football politics was in place, you know.“Because some people, some players, they played in big clubs, they won everything…”Okocha was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most gifted players during his career, and enjoyed successful spells with several European clubs.Despite his individual brilliance and achievements, the former Super Eagles captain never claimed the African Player of the Year award, a fact that has remained a notable omission from his decorated .
