“When he was there, you didnt need floodlights” – Peter Drury waxes lyrical about Super Eagles’ greatest

The British soccer commentator has acquired worldwide approval for his expressive and very literate type of commentary

World-renowned commentator Peter Drury has revealed his admiration for Nigerian soccer nice and former Tremendous Eagles captain Austin JJ Okocha.

Okocha was already an enormous favorite amongst Nigerian, Fenerbahce, and PSG followers earlier than he arrived in England to affix Bolton Wanderers in the summertime of 2002.

And after profitable the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and a gold medal on the 1996 Olympic Video games in Atlanta, Georgia, in the US, Okocha’s legendary standing in Africa had been secured.

However English followers knew little or no of the gifted playmaker.

That modified rapidly, although, as Bolton Wanderers, with Okocha pulling the strings in midfield, turned powerful to beat for a lot of golf equipment within the Premier League.

Together with his tips, dribbles, targets, and free kicks, Okocha was the toast of Premier League followers and watchers.

Regardless of paying for lowly Bolton, Okocha gained the BBC Footballer of the Yr award twice.

In 2017, the midfielder was voted the most effective participant to have ever performed for Bolton Wanderers on the Reebok/Macron Stadium.

Okocha is extensively thought-about to be one of the proficient gamers in function within the Premier League.

And prime soccer commentator Peter Drury has revealed he’s a kind of who holds the Tremendous Eagles nice in excessive esteem.

“You return to Jay Jay Okocha who’s in direction of the beginning of the Premier League period,” Drury advised Supersports.

“And he was only a stunning conjurer. And he was a kind of who you thought understands how fortunate he was to be an expert footballer. He performed with a smile. He was an entertainer. He was a juggler, a conjurer, and a dancer.

“The nice commentary line on him in fact wasn’t it, ‘Jay Jay Okocha – so good they named him twice, Jay Jay.”

When requested if he had coined the well-known line, Drury admits,

“No, not mine, someone else (did) nevertheless it was an incredible line. And he performed for Bolton Wanderers which isn’t one of many pure winners. However they’d an unbelievable workforce. They certified for Europe and all that beneath Sam Allardyce.

“He (Okocha) was simply enjoyable. When he was there, you didn’t want floodlights. He lit the place up. And what a free-kick he would take.”

Arguably Nigeria’s greatest-ever participant, Okocha was named Nigerian Footballer of the Yr a file seven occasions.

The previous Eintracht Frankfurt star gained the Greatest Participant award on the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.

Final yr, Okocha was additionally included within the IFFHS’s All-time Africa Males’s Dream Group.