Jay-Jay Okocha Opens Up on Biggest Career Regret

Super Eagles legend Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha has finally spoken about being overlooked for the CAF African Footballer of the Year award, despite his outstanding career.

Okocha, known for his incredible dribbling skills and creativity, never played for European giants like Real Madrid or Barcelona. However, his talent made him one of the most admired African footballers of all time. He played a key role in Nigeria’s AFCON triumph in 1994 and helped the country win Olympic gold in 1996.

Despite winning several individual honours—including the BBC African Player of the Year award three times in a row—Okocha was never crowned CAF African Footballer of the Year. He was nominated three times, but his best finish was second place.

Speaking in a recent Q&A session, the former Super Eagles captain revealed his biggest regret:

“I’ve had an amazing career, and I don’t want to sound greedy, but I regret not winning the African Footballer of the Year award. I thought I did enough to win it, especially since I won the BBC African Player of the Year award three times in a row. It wasn’t a fluke that I won those awards, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Although he never won Africa’s top individual prize, Okocha paved the way for a new generation of Nigerian stars like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, who have now won the prestigious award. His legacy remains one of the greatest in African football history.