LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Super Eagles legend Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha has joked that he still pays royalties to his elder brother for adopting the “Jay-Jay” name.
During an interview with former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi on The ObiOne Podcast, Okocha explained that “Jay Jay” became his nickname during his childhood days, when he played football in the neighborhood with his brothers and friends.
The former Bolton Wanderers man revealed that many other boys were named “Austin” so the neighborhood kids added Jay Jay’s brother to his own name to differentiate them.
“It started in the neighborhood where we grew up. All of us were footballers because we had no other toys.
“We were just on the street playing, and my two brothers played as well.
“So, we had a few Austins then, so to identify which Austin was which, they started calling me Austin Jay-Jay’s brother. From there, Jay-Jay stuck,” Okocha revealed.
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The former Nigerian international added that another reason why he adopted the “Jay-Jay” nickname was due to his teammates’ inability to pronounce “Augustine” properly.
“When I travelled, some people struggled to pronounce my name, Augustine, so Jay-Jay was a lot easier. I said I might as well adopt the name and I put it in my passport officially,” he said before adding “I still pay royalties to my brother.”
When quizzed about the famous Bolton chant of him being so good they named it twice, Okocha credited his brother’s luck
“He brought the good omen too,” he stated.
Okocha whose real name is Augustine Azuka Okocha, used the nickname “Jay-Jay” throughout his career and eventually gained worldwide recognition with his exceptional skills and dribbling.
During his playing years he featured for Borussia Neunkirchen, Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, PSG, Bolton Wanderers and other clubs.
