If football didn’t work, I’d be a businessman — Okocha

His name defined creativity on the football pitch and brought joy to African football. A true legend, whose artistry with the ball inspired a generation and made the world fall in love with Nigerian football. From the streets of Enugu to dazzling crowd on the world stage, Austin JJ Okocha remains the gold standard of skill, discipline and pure showmanship. In this interview anchored by Femi Soneye and Joycelyn Ella Keche Adah, on The Exchange Podcast, and monitored by the Sunday Tribune, Okocha reveals that beyond the dribbles, cheers and a robust football career is a fecund mind and outstanding man behind the magic. Everyone knows you as one of the most skillful footballers that Africa, and probably the world, has produced and you’ve gone on to be very successful. If football had not worked out for you, what do you think you’ll be doing? Well, I think… I’m not sure, but I should be in the business world I think. Doing business…? Yeah, probably because the environment where I grew up. So, you would have been doing marketing and all those importing and exporting? Yes, whatever to make money. You know, as long as it is legit. Everyone knows you for your dazzling footwork. We know you’re good at that, but what is the one thing you are actually bad at, not on the football pitch now, just generally? Hmm … I’m very bad at remembering people. I don’t know if it’s because I meet a lot of people. So, if I’ve not been with you for a while, I struggle to remember because I meet a lot of people every day. So, sometimes, it’s difficult to remember people that you met only once, especially when you’ve not had any conversation or whatever with them. So, yeah, I’m very bad at that. You make football look like art, especially with your step-overs and take-ons. Some people, your opponents, sometimes even fall to the ground and all those things. The question is, at what point in your career did you realise that you can actually entertain people while playing football? Well, it is not until later that I realised that I was entertaining people. You know, I saw it as my identity, because I believe that we all need an identity, especially when I travelled abroad. I realised that I was different and I had to bring something new to the table. I had to add value to what they’ve got already. You know European football is all about discipline, tactics, but if you are gifted naturally and you bring that on board, you will be accepted, especially when you are doing it for the team. So, I realised that I could do a bit more than my friends do on the pitch. When we were playing on the street, we were just trying all sorts because we were free and I realised that it doesn’t take time for me to create or develop new skills. So, I was trying all sorts [of styles]. When I moved to Europe, I realised that [and said to myself] listen these people, they’ve never played on the street. They’ve all only played organised football. So, if you can bring that your natural ability, they will see you in a different way, yeah. But you have to find a balance. You have to know where and how to do it, because you have to learn. This is because, sometimes, when you love what you are doing so much, you get carried away. Yes, that’s the issue because I do get carried away. You know I’m not perfect; so I do get carried away sometimes. But has there been a time where you actually dribbled a particular player and then feel pity for the guy? No… no… I never felt pity for anybody because I was selling my own market and doing my own job. You spoke about moving to Europe when you were pretty young. What did you find difficult to adjust to moving at that young age? The weather first and then the language. The weather was too cold. My first winter was like hell, because I never knew Europe can be that cold. Nobody prepared me for it. You’ve played in some amazing and beautiful cities across the globe: in France, Turkey, England and Germany. Which of these countries shaped you the most, both as a player and a person? It is Germany, because that was my first stop. I went there when I was 17. I turned 18 there. So I always say that I went to Germany as a boy and left as a man, because the discipline and professionalism that they taught me in Germany, I didn’t see either anywhere else. And that was what helped me during my career. Tell me three cities and clubs that you wish you had played for? You want to get me in trouble. I mean it’s a wish. I missed only one, I would say. I would have loved to play for Barcelona. At Paris Saint Germain, I achieved; Eintracht Frankfurt, I achieved you know. But Barcelona, I missed that. During your professional career, which was the toughest team you’ve ever come across or played against? Well, I mean, every game is different and in football, you have good days and bad days. But there are teams that, on paper, they motivate you [with their style of play] and then there are teams that you know they play ugly. So, those [the teams that play ugly] are the games that you’re not looking forward to playing. And I can say that then, in the Premier League, a team like Stoke City play ugly. So, it’s always difficult to play against a team like that or Blackburn, for example, because it was a derby match. So it used to be tough. Many Nigerians believe that Nigerian football has declined in recent years. From your perspective, what do you think is the problem with Nigerian football? Where did we get it wrong? Well, I think it is lack of a consistency. In my opinion, I think Nigerian football started declining after the 2002 African Nations Cup. African Nations Cup 2002? What happened? The team was disbanded and then some of us were called back. In my opinion, I know some people might not be happy with me, but the squad that we went to the World Cup with in 2002 was maybe the weakest that I played in. You mean the Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup? Yeah. In the previous World Cup, we made it out of our group; maybe even we topped the group. But we didn’t even come out of our group in that 2002 FIFA World Cup. So that transition did not really happen like it was supposed to. Before then, we had players that had played in the national team for years and then retired and then others took over from them. But that transition didn’t happen. They disbanded the team and then almost 70 per cent of the team members left. So, I think from that time, that consistency has been lacking, but don’t get me wrong, we’ve had great players over the years. We have had players that have won tournaments also for Nigeria. We just don’t win games with conviction anymore. So, we made our home our fortress, but now it’s like we are weak at home again. So, in my opinion, we have lost that fear factor. Before, other nations used to be scared to play Nigeria. But now, teams are looking forward to playing Nigeria. So, looking at the Super Eagles now, what do you think we need to get right, to get us back to that level of invincibility? It is just as I said. We need to put a proper structure in place and let that structure work. You know we always believe in quick fix. In football, there is no quick fix. You work as a team; that’s why it is a team’s game. And you need time to build a team. You know Nigeria can never lack talent because of our population. Yes, we will always produce good football players. We have a fantastic squad now, but why are we not consistent enough? Why are we not winning back to back games? I don’t think it’s just the players; it might be other things off the pitch, because you also have to prepare off the pitch before you get on the pitch. Talking about other issues beyond the pitch, there have been conversations linking your name to the NFF. Are we going to see JJ Okocha vying for the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation? Maybe because there is nobody else left. I’m enjoying my private life; I’m enjoying my freedom. I am a junkie when it comes to football. I am a big fan. Forget about me playing for Nigeria. I am one of Nigeria’s biggest fans. That was part of the reasons why I moved back home, to show that I’m from a good place too. Forget about the image that they portray out there. Sometimes, I mean, if you get to the level that we have to come out and say that enough is enough, we’ve seen enough, why not? You never know what would happen. Yes, I am a football person. My focus will be us getting results. You know football is a result business and people forget that if the team is not winning, if the team is not doing well, then you’re not doing well. Do you think the Super Eagles will still qualify for the World Cup? I’m the worst person to ask this question because I can never say anything against the national team. And once there is a glimpse of hope, of course, I believe that [we can still qualify] and that’s the beauty of football. You know, sometimes, you have to do it the hard way. Sometimes, it might work, other times, it might not. But once there is hope, I still trust this team. I still believe that it’s possible. We put ourselves in this situation and we are the only ones that will bring ourselves out of it. They [the players] know. The thing is that the players are the ones that feel it the most. It’s their job and they don’t have any other job at the moment. So, they will all love to play in the World Cup and they know how disappointing our people will be if they don’t make it. So I think, I believe even from their last outing, you can see the desire to get it right, the desire to correct their mistakes. So they’ve given us hope. So, if you look at football generally today, the money, the fame and everything. Do you still think players still play for passion? Of course. I mean if you don’t love what you’re doing to survive or for a living, you shouldn’t be doing it. Even though it is pure and serious business now and players are under a lot of pressure to produce… I believe they still love the game because it is the game that that made them. It is the game that even brought up this conversation and all that. So, I have no doubt that they love it. You know it is a game. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. But our problem in this Nigeria is that we are all coaches and our expectations are beyond the coaches from home. So, it is not easy. We can’t get used to losing a match. No. And I understand that, because it is one of the things that unify us. Football is one of the things that bring us together. So you admitted that your time as the chairman of the Delta State Football Association, in your words, was a woeful failure and then you stepped away. You said again that the structure will not allow people like you us to succeed. What were the biggest structural challenges you had in that role that prompted you to use such words? It is because I had a boss, if I may put it that way, because, whether you like it or not, government is always your landlord. So, I had somebody that was not willing to work with me and I was a bit uncomfortable. He didn’t understand that I was just there to help develop the game in Delta. I was using my money to run the FA. I did it for two years. I ran the FA with my money for two years; so there was no funding and I didn’t have the structure or whatever to attract investors or the corporate world. So, I said, I’m not that kind of person that would just stay in a place that I’m not comfortable with just to be a chairman or president if I’m not adding value. So I decided to leave it for them. You have inspired a whole lot of generations and it is mind-blowing. But who inspired you the most while growing up? Well, I will say, my senior brother. Even though as a kid it was all about Pele, Pele, Pele, but I grew up from a footballing family. Even our most senior brother, he is the main Jay Jay, yeah. So, I got my inspiration from my brothers. Many say your talent was ahead of your time. Do you feel you got the recognition you truly deserved both in Nigeria and globally? Recognition wise? Yes. I mean people still recognise me. People still thank God that during our time we managed to get some clips. So people still go back and watch my clips. But I can say that I didn’t get the reward that I think I deserved. Reward, in what terms? In terms of [the fact that] I didn’t win CAF African Footballer of the year, but I won the BBC African Player of the Year back-to-back. But CAF never gave [me award] and I think I might be the only person that has not won both awards at the same time, because you can’t be good enough for one and not be good enough for the other. You once captained the Super Eagles. What was the hardest decision you ever had to make both on and off pitch while you were playing for the Super Eagles? That’s a tough question. Not really. Maybe there was a match that you were playing and there was road block everywhere and you were thinking what about what to do… I think it was us not qualifying for 2006 World Cup and I felt like we threw it away. The reason for that is because the decision that was made off the pitch cost us the ticket. What decision was that? The match was played in Cannes and we had never played in Cannes before. All of us were foreign-based players; the heat, the weather was harsh and we were all like foreigners. Looking back, is there one match, one goal or one moment that truly defines your career for you? Of course, it is the goal I scored there in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt in 1993. The one against Oliver Kahn? Yes. That was the goal that made me popular in Europe. If your story were to be put in a movie, what will the title be and who will you suggest to play you? Who will I suggest to play me in the movie? International and local artistes… I like Denzel Washington. As for title, I would say “Unknown Genius”. But you’re a known genius, a known legend, what advice would you give the current NFF to help in improving the Nigerian football from what it is today? Is there anything you want to tell them? What I can advise is that they need to get former players involved. They need to work with players, because some of us still have effects on the current players. I think there is always a role for everyone to play, yes. The reason I’m saying this is because I was with the team during the last Nation’s Cup and I could see respect in the players’ faces when I was talking to them. You know, respect for somebody that has been there, done it and is talking to them; somebody that is making sense and who knows what they are going through and can connect with them. And that started after we drew our first game and we were meant to play the host team and we won that game! After that, they were like “oh, can you come again?” You know, if you’ve never been there, if you’ve never done it before, if you’ve never been in the dressing room, that connection can never be there, because you cannot really understand how they feel and maybe what to tell them at the right moment or whatever, because you are not talking to them as a fan, not talking to them as a president or whatever, you are talking to them as a teammate, a colleague, as somebody that has been there, done it and somebody that they respect. On a final note, what is one victory in a football match that till today lingers and brings back memories? That is very easy. It is the semi-final, 1996 Olympics against Brazil. That was a very iconic moment, iconic match.