Former Super Eagles captains Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and John Obi Mikel have revealed the surprising stories behind the names that became synonymous with their football careers.
The former Nigeria internationals shared the stories while speaking on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by Mikel.
Okocha explained that the nickname ‘Jay Jay’ originally belonged to his younger brother, James. Growing up in a football-loving neighbourhood, several members of the Okocha family played football, making it difficult for people to distinguish between the different Austins.
According to the former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers star, neighbours began referring to him as “Austin Jay Jay’s brother,” and the nickname eventually stuck.
He said the name became even more useful when he travelled abroad, as people often struggled to pronounce his given name, Augustine.
“So, from there, Austin Jay Jay stuck. So, when I travelled, some people were struggling to pronounce my name, ‘Augustine’. So, ‘Jay Jay’ was a lot easier. So, I said I might as well adopt the name, and I put it in my passport. Yeah, it’s in my passport now. It’s officially mine.”
Mikel, meanwhile, revealed that his famous name came about as a result of an administrative error during an Under-17 tournament.
He explained that he had submitted “Michael” for the name to be printed on his jersey, but when the shirt was returned, it had been printed as “Mikel.”
Rather than correcting the mistake, the midfielder decided to keep the new spelling after enjoying a successful tournament.
“At the Under-17 tournament, when they went to print the names, I gave them Michael. They came back with Mikel, and Mikel sounds better than Michael.”
Mikel added that he eventually made the name official by having “Mikel” entered in his passport.
Both names subsequently became globally recognised during the players’ successful careers with the Super Eagles and at top European clubs.
While Okocha’s “Jay Jay” became one of the most iconic nicknames in African football, Mikel’s “Mikel” became the name under which he won major honours with Chelsea and represented Nigeria at the highest level.