Okocha Missing As Kanu Nwankwo, Mikel Named in Top 5 Most Decorated Nigerian Footballers Ever

• Jay Jay Okocha remains one of the very best footballers Nigeria ever produced
• The former Bolton Wanderers' star is, however, not among the top five most decorated Nigerian footballers
• Kanu Nwankwo and Mikel Obi top the chart, having won several titles with club and country

Despite scoring breathtaking goals and showing off incredible skills, legendary Jay Jay Okocha is not among the top five most decorated Nigerian footballers of all time.

Jay Jay, ‘so good they named him twice’, captained the Super Eagles in the prime of his career and was part of the squad that conquered Africa in 1994.

He was also a member of the Golden Eaglets team that won the Olympic Gold in Atlanta, 1996.

Okocha also played for top clubs in Europe, including French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain and English club Bolton Wanderers.

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During his time in France, Okocha won the Trophée des Champions in 1998 and the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup with the Parisians, Naira Dairy reports.

At Turkish club Fenerbahce, the won the Prime Minister's Cup in 1998 and then Ataturk Cup in 1999. Honours

During his spell with German side Borussia Neunkirchen, Jay Jay won the Saarland Cup: 1989–90, 1991–92, as well as the Oberliga Sudwest: 1990–91.

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5. Sunday Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh won quite a number of titles at both national and club levels.

He played for the German club Borussia Dortmund, where he won the Bundesliga.

Earlier on in his career, the midfielder was part of the Ajax squad that won the Eredivisie.

Honours

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Ajax

Eredivisie: 1997–98

KNVB Cup: 1997–98, 1998–99

Juventus

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999[19]

Borussia Dortmund

Bundesliga: 2001–02

UEFA Cup runner-up: 2001–02

Nigeria U23

Olympic Gold Medal: 1996

Nigeria

African Cup of Nations: 1994

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1995

4. Daniel Amokachi

Nicknamed ‘The Bull’, Daniel Amokachi also left a magical footprint during his active days, as he ranks fourth on the list of the most decorated Nigerian footballers in history, Complete Sports reports.

Amokachi had stints in Belgium, England, and Turkey. He scored the first-ever goal of the UEFA Champions League in 1992 when the competition was renamed.

He was also part of the Super Eagles squad that won the AFCON title in 1994.

Everton

FA Cup: 1994–95

FA Charity Shield: 1995

Besiktas

Turkish Cup: 1997–98 [tr]

Turkish Super Cup: 1998[12]

Nigeria

African Cup of Nations: 1994

Olympic Games: Gold Medal, 1996

3. Finidi George

Nicknamed ‘Finito’, Finidi George is the third in the enviable list of Nigeria’s most decorated players.

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Club

Ajax

Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96

Johan Cruyff Shield: 1994, 1995

UEFA Champions League: 1994–95, Runner-up 1995–96

UEFA Super Cup: 1995

Intercontinental Cup: 1995

Betis

Copa del Rey runner-up: 1996–97

Nigeria

Africa Cup of Nations: 1994; Runner-up 2000; Third place 1992, 2002

2. John Obi Mikel

Former Super Eagles skipper John Mikel Obi comes second on the list of the most decorated Nigerian footballers.

He won the prestigious UEFA Champions League with Chelsea, as well as two English Premier League titles. During his time with the Blues, the defensive midfielder also won four FA Cup titles.

Mikel won quite a number of trophies with club and country.

Honours

Chelsea

Premier League: 2009–10, 2014–15

FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009-10, 2011–12

Football League Cup: 2006–07, 2014-15

FA Community Shield: 2009

UEFA Champions League: 2011–12

UEFA Europa League: 2012–13

Trabzonspor

Turkish Cup: 2019–20

Nigeria

Africa Cup of Nations: 2013; third place: 2006, 2010, 2019

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Nigeria Olympic

Summer Olympics bronze medalist: 2016

1. Kanu Nwankwo

The ‘Golden Boy’ of Nigerian football. The former Super Eagles forward remains the country’s most decorated player to date.

Kanu played for some top European clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Inter Milan and Arsenal during his illustrious football career.

‘Papilo’ won over a dozen major trophies in a career that spanned two decades.

Iwuanyanwu Nationale

Nigerian Premier League: 1992–93

Ajax

Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96

UEFA Champions League: 1994–95; runner-up: 1995–96

UEFA Super Cup: 1995

Intercontinental Cup: 1995

Inter Milan

UEFA Cup: 1997–98

Arsenal

Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04

FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03; runner-up: 2000–01

FA Charity Shield: 1999

UEFA Cup runner-up: 1999–2000

Portsmouth

FA Cup: 2007–08

Nigeria U17

FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1993

Nigeria U23

Olympic Gold Medal: 1996

Nigeria

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1995

African Cup of Nations runner-up: 2000

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Sports Brief earlier reported that a former Nigerian international, Wilson Oruma once narrated how he was defrauded of about N2 billion.

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Oruma was part of the Golden Eaglets squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Japan ’93 and the Dream Team that claimed gold in football at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

He retired from football in 2010 and eight years later, the former Sochaux of France star fell into the hands of some fraudsters.