Through Danny Mills’ Lens: Jay-Jay Okocha’s Premier League Legacy That The Streets Won’t Forget
Former England and Manchester City defender, Danny Mills has opened up exclusively to Completesports.com on what it was like to face Nigeria’s Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha – the dazzling midfielder whose artistry made him a cult hero in England in the colours of Bolton Wanderers and a true legend in African football.
Completesports.com, in collaboration with WhichBookie, launches its special spotlight series on African Greats’ impact in the Premier League with an exclusive interview featuring the ex-Three Lions full-back, who got animated talking up his perspectives on one of the world football’s rare gems.
Mills Concurs: ‘So Good They Named Him Twice’ – Messi -esque
Mills could barely hide his admiration for Okocha’s brilliance on the pitch.
“Oh, Jay Jay Okocha was phenomenal, you know. ‘So good they named him twice’ was probably apt, in all honesty,” former defender, Mills, said while fielding questions from Completesports.com on the African football great.
Also Read: Okocha Denies Rumours About NFF Presidency Ambition
“Yeah, it was just his ability to do something different, to control a ball [the ways he did]. It won’t be wrong to say it was just sheer natural talent. When you look at what he could do with ball, for those that weren’t around, it’s Messi-esque.”
He added: “He could do things with the ball that other players couldn’t even think about doing. And even when you watched it, it was like ‘I’m not quite sure how he did that.’ You know, Jay Jay Okocha was a magician with the ball, you know. His strength as well was sensational.
“He had absolutely everything, you know. There was not much he could not do. But that first touch, that awareness, a little bit like a pre-Messi, if you like. That ability to play the game in slow motion, you know, and see things and do things that other players just simply could not replicate, you know, it was an absolute genius.”
Mills Recalls Facing Okocha At The Highest Level
The former Manchester City and Leeds United right-back recalled encounters with Okocha both in the Premier League and on the international stage – the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan where the Nigeria/England Group F clash in Osaka ended goalless.
“Oh yeah. Obviously we played World Cup in 2002, we played against him [vs Nigeria’s Super Eagles], and obviously lots of games against Bolton, you know, in that time as well,” Mills recalled.
Also Read: FIFA, CAF, Bolton, Frankfurt Celebrate Okocha At 52
“You know, Jay Jay Okocha was the number 10 – He had that free role to go and pick the ball up and he could go left foot, right foot, inside the foot, outside the foot, you know, drop a shoulder, nutmeg you, you know. He was one of those players that was so good.”
Jay Jay Had So Much Quality, Unpredictable Too – Mills
Mills continued: “He had so much quality, but unpredictable in the same way. He was almost impossible, you know, he would feign to go one way and then just drop it through your legs. So, you know, you had to be right at it.
“You know, you couldn’t give him any time, any space because he would see a pass, pick a pass that probably no one else in the football pitch would see at that point.
“And of course, that made him incredibly difficult to play against – to mark. Can you imagine if he’d been in an Arsenal or at Man United of that time, you know, rather than Bolton, he could have been even better, you know, because, you know, better players. How he wasn’t at one of those clubs [Arsenal, Man United, etc], I’m not quite sure.”
Mills speculated that Okocha’s unpredictable flair might have deterred some of the league’s elite clubs.
Also Read: I Acted Like A Senior Brother To Ronaldinho At PSG –Okocha
“Maybe the fact that he was so maverick and was such an individual – maybe some of the top clubs looked at that and thought, ‘how do we accommodate him into a team’? But yeah, Jay Jay Okocha was absolutely sensational,” Mills mulled
Okocha’s Legacy Beyond Statistics – Mills
While Okocha’s Premier League stats – 14 goals in 124 games for Bolton Wanderers and a later spell at Hull City without scoring – may not scream dominance, Mills believes they don’t tell the full story.
Also Read: ‘Osimhen Should Choose What’s Best For Him, Family’ –Okocha
“And that’s the problem, you know, people will look at his stats and go, ‘well, what do you get’? You know, Bolton [Wanderers], you know – Jay Jay’s 14 goals in the Premier League. It was a lot harder to score back then. Yeah, it was much harder to score. It [ball] was getting booted left, right and centre,” he noted.
“The aerial battles, obviously were huge as well. I’d love to see Jay Okocha’s stats of chances created, you know, big chances created in the final-third, you know, key passes made. They’d be up the charts, you know, they’d be quite up there.”
Mills also emphasised that highlight reels alone did not capture Okocha’s weekly brilliance.
“And this is why I don’t think you can compare modern day football to how it was back then. Jay Jay Okocha was playing for a Bolton side that were pretty direct at times,” he insisted.
“But if you watch him back, most players can find a highlight reel, even I can probably find a highlight reel of good moments for about 10 seconds. Jay Jay Okocha’s highlight reel could be for days on end. You know, it’s just phenomenal the ability that he had.”
A Player Before His Time’ – Mills Unravels the Jay Jay Okocha Myth
Mills believes Okocha would have thrived even more in the modern game.
“He’s one of those players – if he’d have played in this modern era, wow – it would have been unbelievable. Absolutely incredible.
“I think maybe you have to look at PSG, when he played there – they weren’t the PSG of now, of course, obviously. Then Sam [Allardyce] took him to Bolton.
“He had, you know, several years – he must have played three or four, five seasons there– whatever it was, he was superb.
“So, yeah, you know, he played in the World Cups for Nigeria. I think he must have been captain of Nigeria as well. You know, he was just a sensational player. He was a player probably before his time.”
Glittering Career Beyond England
Beyond his Premier League exploits, Okocha had a decorated international career with Nigeria. He earned 73 caps for the Super Eagles, scoring 14 goals. He won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gold in 1994, silver in 2000, and captained the team to three consecutive bronze medals in 2002, 2004, and 2006.
Jay Jay Okocha also clinched Olympic gold with Nigeria’s U-23 team at the 1996 Atlanta Games and represented the Super Eagles at the 1994, 1998, and 2002 FIFA World Cups.
Okocha: A Maverick Who Defined An Era
For Mills, Okocha’s story is that of an African genius whose influence in the Premier League cannot be measured by numbers alone. He was a showman, an innovator, and a player who captured imaginations week in, week out.
Okocha may not have lifted major club trophies in England, but his artistry, skill, and magnetic personality made him the quintessential “streets won’t forget” footballer – and as Mills insists, a true pre-Messi genius.
By Nnamdi Ezekute
