Jay Jay Okocha recounts playing barefooted in Enugu before onward path to greatness

• Jay Jay Okocha has disclosed that his strength is the desire to survive as he recounts his childhood days
• The Nigerian football icon, who came from a humble beginning, disclosed that his father worked on the railways
• He stated that his quest for success saw him move to a country where he practically figured out everything himself

Nigerian football legend Jay Jay Okocha grew up playing on the streets of Enugu as he recounts his childhood days and the struggles of life.

Okocha left an indelible footprint in the game of football as he is known with the moniker 'so good they named him twice'.

He is renowned for his incredible skills and trickery, and many consider him the greatest dribbler football has ever seen.

Jay Jay Okocha speaks on how he grew up on the streets of Enugu. Photo: Gokhan Kavak.
Source: Getty Images

The former Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder came from humble beginnings in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.

Okocha recently detailed how he was determined to excel as he appeared in a clip 'No Room For Racism' initiative.

The drive is to celebrate the diversity of the English Premier League through the theme of "Greatness comes from everywhere".

Okocha said via Premier League:

"My father worked on the railways. It was just your normal average African families, just trying to survive."I had my first football shoe at the age of 12 and it was so uncomfortable. I had to get used to it because I was used to playing barefooted."

Okocha recalls growing up in Enugu

Soccernet reports that he started his youth career with local club Enugu Rangers before he moved to Europe in 1990.

"We had one big team in Enugu that was playing in the first division, Enugu Rangers."My strength was the desire that I had to survive. The desire that I had to succeed, having to leave my family, having to go to a country where you don’t understand the language, you don’t understand the culture."

Okocha names self as best dribbler

Legit.ng earlier reported that Okocha left football fans buzzing on social media after a video surfaced of him naming a better dribbler than himself.

During the recent EAFC 2025 Game launch, the former Nigeria national team captain faced the viral challenge of identifying a superior dribbler.

Despite the impressive lineup, Okocha did not respond to any of the names. When asked afterwards about his silence, the iconic midfielder simply remarked,

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Source: Legit.ng