Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has revealed that Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho questioned him about Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria missed out on the tournament after Eric Chelle’s side lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African play-off final.

Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Okocha commended former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi for publicly criticising the Nigeria Football Federation over issues affecting the national team.

“Kudos to you, John Mikel, you’re speaking up against the Nigerian Federation,” Okocha said.

The former midfielder said his personal relationship with the NFF president had made it difficult for him to openly criticise the federation.

“I live in Nigeria, and the NFF president is my friend, so it’s difficult to speak up,” he said.

Okocha added that Nigeria’s failure to qualify had become a subject of discussion among his former football colleagues, including Ronaldinho.

“I get asked by my colleagues like Ronaldinho why Nigeria hasn’t qualified for the World Cup,” he said.