Days After Samuel Eto’o Claimed Jay Jay Okocha Deserves More Respect, Ivorian Legend Didier Drogba Speaks

Days After Samuel Eto’o Claimed Jay Jay Okocha Deserves More Respect, Ivorian Legend Didier Drogba Speaks

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:56 PM
In this article:
A. A. Okocha
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  • Okocha scored during the exhibition match between African Legends and Senegalese legends over the weekend
  • Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba met with the Nigerian superstar and took to social media to brand him ‘My no 10’
  • Drogba is now the latest personality to acknowledge Okocha as one of the greatest midfielders who played the game

Former Super Eagles captain Jay Jay Okocha was part of the African legends that graced the inauguration of a new magnificent stadium in Senegal where Ivorian legend Didier Drogba also met with him, Soccernet reports.

Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o was also part of the occasion, which comes days after he claimed Okocha has been so underrated by the football world.

Eto’o who played alongside Ronaldinho at Spanish club Barcelona says Okocha deserves the same kind of rating and reputation accorded to the Brazilian.

Jay Jay Okocha
Okocha branded as No 10 by Ivorian legend Didier Drogba. Photo: didierdrogba (story)
Source: Instagram

And the latest big name to praise the former Bolton Wanderer’s captain is Drogba who quickly shared a snap of himself and the Nigerian.

The 2012 Champions League winner with Chelsea took to his Instagram to praise Okocha with the caption ‘My Number 10.

Drogba posted himself and Okocha with the caption ahead of the African legends match against former Senegal players to celebrate the inauguration of the 50,000 world-class Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Dakar.

The former Nigeria captain showed why he is highly revered by his colleagues as he scored the equaliser for the African legends after Khalilou Fadiga had put Senegal ahead with a brilliant strike.

He played for clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, PSG and Bolton during his career.

What Samuel Eto’o said about Okocha

Eto’o feels there was an injustice against the former Super Eagles captain in his comments to Onvoitout:

“It’s the injustice of world football.
“What we saw Ronaldinho do a few years ago, Jay-Jay (Okocha) had done 10 or 15 years before and he never had the recognition of others. And that’s what happens when it comes to Africa.”

At the latter stages of his brilliant career, Okocha was voted BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004.

Senegal inaugurate state of the art stadium

Meanwhile, Sports Brief earlier reported that the government of Senegal has inaugurated the country's newly-built state of the art stadium in Diamniadio in the presence of thousands of fans of the national team.

Having won the Africa Cup of Nations early this month, the West African football powerhouse followed their success with the completion of the stadium which will host all their international matches.

At a ceremony in the country's capital Dakar, Senegal President Macky Sall revealed the stadium is named after the former head of state, Abdoulaye Wade.

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Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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