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Football / Olympic champion
The playmaker whose flair lit up three World Cups and an Olympic final
NIGERIAFootball
Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha is remembered as one of the most gifted and entertaining players Africa has produced, a playmaker whose skill on the ball made him a favourite wherever he played.
He won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and Olympic gold in Atlanta two years later, and played for Nigeria at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups. In club football he starred for Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers, and was twice voted BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Career milestones
Trace the moments, achievements and milestones that have defined the journey.
Career timeline
More legends
1990s–2010sFootball
Olympic gold, Atlanta 1996; two-time African Footballer of the Year
2010s–PresentFootball
Record six-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year
2010s–PresentFootball
African Footballer of the Year 2023; U-17 World Cup winner 2015
Football
Scored Nigeria’s first FIFA World Cup goal; Africa Cup of Nations winner 1994
Football
Africa Cup of Nations winner 1980, scoring twice in the final
1990s–2000sAthletics
Olympic long jump gold, Atlanta 1996: Nigeria’s first Olympic champion
