Football News: Jay-Jay Okocha’s Premier League Brilliance Leaves Danny Murphy ‘Raging’
In a revelation on talkSPORT’s The Shortlist, former Liverpool star Danny Murphy recounted the time when Nigerian wizard Jay-Jay Okocha humiliated him not once, but twice in a single game during their Premier League encounters.
Okocha, who arrived at Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2002, made 142 appearances for the club before departing in 2006. The Nigerian winger’s mesmerizing skills and slaloming runs past defenders cemented his status as one of the Premier League’s greatest cult heroes, with the Reebok Stadium (now known as the Macron Stadium) hailing him as the best player to ever grace their home ground.
“He’s the only player I ever played against who did two things to me in one game,” Murphy said. “The first one was a megs. I’ve been megged by other players, but it was a lovely one and he got around. I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve dived in a bit, I’ve got to give this fella some respect.'”
The second incident left Murphy fuming, as he described:
“The other one, he was stuck in a corner and he scooped one over my head. He scooped it over my head and got it the other side. You know when you’re just raging. I couldn’t get near him.”
Okocha’s carefree approach and ability to try audacious moves on the pitch were a sight to behold for fans, as Murphy noted:
“He always played with a smile on his face. That freedom to try things that I wouldn’t want to try in a game. And he could shoot.”
During his four-year spell at Bolton under the management of Sam Allardyce, Okocha helped the club qualify for the UEFA Cup and reach the 2004 League Cup final. The Nigerian maestro’s impact at the club was such that he is widely regarded as one of the best players to have ever played at the Reebok Stadium.
Okocha went on to depart Bolton in 2006, moving to Qatar SC before returning to England the following year to link up with Hull City in the Championship. However, his one season with the Tigers was hampered by injuries and fitness issues, and he was only able to feature 18 times before retiring from professional football.
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