Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha has revealed that it was unfair for him not to have won at least one African Player of the Year award despite giving his all for football.
Okocha enjoyed a successful career with club and country, winning numerous individual awards but he famously missed out of the biggest individual award in Africa.
In 1998, He finished second behind Morocco’s Mustapha Hadji in the award ratings for that year.
In 2002, He finished third behind Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba, same as in 2004 even after winning the best player of the tournament at the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia.
Okocha is regarded as one of the most skillful players to ever graced the football pitch.
However, He admitted to giving his all but it was unfair he failed to win the coveted award even once.
Okocha said: “I mean at some point, I thought I did enough to have won it, you know but I mean at the end of the day, I have to take it and say maybe that’s life, you know you can’t have it all.
“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be but of course, I thought that I deserved at least on one occasion to have won it. You know, because if you look at that list and look at some of the people that won it during my time, you know, then I will agree with you that it uh it was unfair.”
The former Bolton midfielder said he is proud to be remembered for his identity.
Okocha said: “For me, the most important thing is to be remembered for an identity you know and you are remembered. To be honest, I think I might not have won many trophies but I won hearts and for me, that’s golden, so I don’t compare myself to anybody because I know how my career started and I know what I achieved and I appreciate what football has done for me.”
Okocha started his career at Enugu Rangers before moving to Borussia Neunkirchen in the Oberliga Südwest, Germany’s third division, in July 1990.
He joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992 before going on to play for the likes of Fenerbahce, PSG, Bolton Wanderers, Qatar SC, and Hull City.
In 2017, Okocha was voted the best player to have ever played for Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok/Macron Stadium.
Okocha made his debut for Nigeria in their 2–1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier away loss against Ivory Coast in May 1993. He scored 15 goals in 75 appearances for Nigeria.
He was a key member of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
Okocha was elected as the Chairman of the Delta State Football Association in 2015.
