Few names in the history of Nigeria and global football have brought magic, nostalgia and adulation like Jay-Jay Okocha and John Obi Michael.
Both former Super Eagles captain revealed that the standing names on the back of their jerseys and stamped on their trusty global passports, were clearly born from Avenue nicknames and administrative typographical errors.
Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers legends sat down to percent the hilarious, shocking real stories behind how “Augustin” became “Jay-Jay” and “Michael” turned into “Michael”.
For fans growing up watching English Premier League or African football, the name “Jay-Jay” was synonymous with jaw-dropping stepovers, flick-overs, and pure entertainment. However, Augustine Azuka Okocha revealed that he wasn’t even the original “Jay-Jay” in his own household.
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“I imagine it all started in the neighborhood where we grew up,” Okocha explained on the podcast. “You know, after all, everyone were football players because we didn’t have any other toys; we just played in the street. My older brothers performed as well, so we had a few ‘Augustins’ around.”
To distinguish between the brothers in the neighborhood pitches, locals have started calling young Augustine “Austin, Jay-Jay’s brother” in reference to his older brother James
“Then ‘Austin Jay-Jay’ just stuck,” Okocha laughed. “When I went abroad to play in Germany and France, commentators and immigration officials struggled to pronounce ‘Augustin.’ ‘Jay-Jay’ was much less difficult for anyone. So I said I accept it just as well, and I put it in my passport.
