Former Super Eagles captains Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and John Obi Mikel have revealed how the names they became famous by originated.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, the former Nigeria internationals explained the circumstances that led to the changes.
Okocha said the nickname ‘Jay Jay’ originated during his childhood while playing street football with his brothers. He explained that the nickname was initially used to distinguish him from other family members who shared the name Austin.
“My two brothers played as well, so we had a few Austins. So, to identify which Austin was which, they started calling me Austin Jay Jay’s brother,” Okocha said.
He said the nickname became useful when people struggled to pronounce his first name, Augustine, after he began travelling abroad. Okocha eventually adopted ‘Jay Jay’ officially and added it to his passport.
Mikel, meanwhile, said his name was changed from Michael to Mikel by mistake during an Under-17 tournament when players’ names were being printed on their shirts.
“I gave them Michael. They came back with Mikel, and Mikel sounds better than Michael,” he said.
Mikel said he had a successful tournament and decided to keep the name after it appeared on his shirt. Like Okocha, he later made the name official by including it in his passport.
Both players went on to enjoy distinguished international careers with Nigeria, with Okocha regarded as one of the country’s most celebrated midfielders and Mikel captaining the Super Eagles during the latter part of his career.
