In another world cup qualifier against Algeria in Lagos, Okocha scored a classical free kick to draw level with the Algerians who were a goal up. His great performance helped Nigeria to a 4-1 victory over the hard fighting dessert warriors of Algeria.
Okocha’s superlative performance helped the country at the 1994 African cup of Nations held in Tunisia to lift the trophy for the second time. As a testimony of his heroic performance at the tourney, Okocha was selected as a member of the tournament’s best eleven.
Three months later, Okocha inspired the Super Eagles to her first ever FIFA world cup appearance. These feats endeared him to soccer fans across the world.
At a point he was denied the CAF African Footballer of the year Award in controversial circumstances and ended up as runner-up to Mustapha Hadji of Morocco.
Okocha’s professional footballing in Europe could be described as purely coincidental, the reason being that Okocha was flown to Germany at the age of 17 to visit a friend who plied his footballing trade in Neunkirchen.
Okocha, who had already played in a Nigerian first division with Enugu Rangers (though doubted by some), had coincidentally trained with the Local club and was immediately persuaded to stay. From Neunkirchen, “Jay Jay” went to Saaebrucken and then quickly on to Entracht Frankfurt in December 1991, before his 18th birthday, when he exploded in the Bundesliga.
At Frankfurt during the 1993/94 season, one of Okocha’s goals was adjudged the goal of the season. Okocha had displaced four opponents in a roll including the goalkeeper over and again, before flashing the ball into the net sending his numerous fans wild with cheer in salute of a great goal.
Okocha got the first schoker of his football career at Frankfurt when in December 1994 he was sacked alongside two of his club mates, Ghanaian Tony Yeboa and Ex-German International Maurizio Guadino, for accusation by Coach Jupp Heynckes of gross indiscipline and insubordination.
The trio from then they all went their separate ways. “Jay Jay” moved to Turkey with Turkish champions, Fernerbrche in a Lucrative 4 million dollars two year contract, were he teamed up with Super Eagle’s mate Uche “the Gentle Giant” Okechukwu.
Watch out for the 3rd part……
