Heartbreak for Nigerians as Okocha out, Ronaldinho, Messi, Maradona named among 50 best footballers of all-time
- Diego Maradona has been named the best footballer of all-time according to FourFourTwo
- The Argentine legend who died on November 25, 2020 had a remarkable career during his active days
- Nigeria’s Jay Jay Okocha failed to make the top 50 where Ronaldinho and Messi were mentioned
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Super Eagles legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha has been ignored in the 50 best footballers of all-time as compiled by UK outlet FourFourTwo.
The Bolton Wanderers' hero, despite being hampered by injuries, was the fans’ favourite, with the team printing shirts with the inscription "Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice."
The two-time BBC African footballer of the year was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON tournament in Tunisia, but he never won the prestigious prize from CAF during his playing days.
Okocha, for many, is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time, however he did not even make the top 50 listed by FourFourTwo.
His former team-mate at French club PSG Ronaldinho was named in the 24th position.
According to the list, Argentine pair Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi make up the first and second position respectively, beating Brazil legend Pele to third position.
Below are the 50 best players of all-time according the publication.
50. Xavi
49. Nilton Santos
48. Michael Laudrup
47. Rivellino
46. Juan Alberto Schiaffino
Source: Getty Images
45. Oleg Blokhin
44. Didi
43. Fritz Walter
42. Matthias Sindelar
41. Gianluigi Buffon
40. Kenny Dalglish
39. Nandor Hidegkuti
38. Gianni Rivera
37. Ruud Gullit
36. Paco Gento
35. Luis Suarez (born 1935)
34. Stanley Matthews
33. Gunter Netzer
32. Paolo Rossi
31. Juan Manuel Moreno
30. Lothar Matthaus
29. Raymond Kopa
28. Socrates
27. Bobby Moore
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26. Valentino Mazzola
25. Carlos Alberto Torres
24. Ronaldinho
23. Eusebio
22. Lev Yashin
21. Romario
20. Paolo Maldini
19. Sir Bobby Charlton
18. Giuseppe Meazza
17. Gerd Muller
16. Zico
15. Franco Baresi
14. George Best
13. Marco van Basten
12. Michel Platini
11. Garrincha
10. Ronaldo
9. Ferenc Puskas
8. Zinedine Zidane
7. Franz Beckenbauer
6. Alfredo Di Stefano
4. Johan Cruyff
3. Pele
2. Lionel Messi
1. Diego Maradona
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that embattled Arsenal player Mesut Ozil has named former Nigerian international Austin Jay Jay Okocha as his idol while growing up.
The German star disclosed this during an interactive Q&A session with his followers on Twitter.
Ozil who was born in Germany to a Turkish family said that his favourite club was Fenerbahce as a young chap, where Super Eagles legend Okocha had spent two years.
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Source: Legit.ng
