Jay-Jay Okocha Rated Higher Than Messi and Ronaldo in World’s Most Skilful Player Rankings
- Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has been rated highly among the most skilful players in the world
- The Nigerian football legend Okocha is widely regarded as one of the best footballers to come out of Africa
- He is rated higher than the top two footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of skilful players
Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has a place among the legends of football and is rated higher than some top stars among the most skilful players.
Skillfulness in football is subjective, but some undeniable traits like dribbling, quick feet and movement, and ball manipulation to evade opponents are yardsticks.
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South Americans particularly Brazilians have been praised as some of the most skilful players in football, but it is not limited to the continent alone.
Give Me Sport analysed the most skillful players in football and rated Okocha ahead of some legendary names.
Football’s most skillful players
1. Ronaldinho
The Barcelona legend is regarded as one of the most skilful footballers ever and played at the highest level since arriving in Europe from Brazil in 1999, and played for top clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.
He was a master of skills and dribbles, leaving opponents for dead, contributing attacking outputs and entertaining fans. He famously originated the elastico skill referred to as “snake bite”, twisting the leg with the ball glued to it to evade an opponent.
2. Ronaldo Nazario
El Fenomeno, as he is fondly referred to, was one of the best strikers football has ever seen, combining skills with other components of a striker, and yet was very entertaining on the ball.
He was famous for performing stepovers, which left defenders glued to a spot, and was also very good at dribbling his way out of trouble in tight spaces.
3. Austin JJ Okocha
So good they named him twice, Okocha entertained the world with the ball at his feet during his career and is widely regarded as the best talent to come out of Africa.
He famously left Oliver Kahn dizzy during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt when they faced Karlsruher SC, and was a menace against defenders.
Rumour had it that Okocha taught Ronaldinho skills, but the Nigerian legend clarified it to Brila FM that the young Ronaldinho could have watched him during their time at PSG.
4. Lionel Messi
Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time, having won eight Ballon d'Ors in a storied career that is gradually winding down as he currently plays at MLS franchise Inter Miami.
He is widely regarded as one of the best dribblers in the world, taking advantage of his speed, low centre of gravity and close control to evade opponents.
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is one of the football legends who has been hard to copy, and most of the players dubbed “Messi” failed to hit the heights of their career.
5. Johan Cruyff
Cruyff revolutionised football both as a player and as a manager. He spent all of his career between AFC Ajax and Barcelona, and his final season at Feyenoord, and is a legend of the aforementioned clubs.
On the pitch, he was an artist with his technical ability. Off the pitch, he was a magical tutor who laid the foundation for the tiki-taka style Barcelona utilised for many years.
Emerse Fae hails JJ Okocha
Legit.ng previously reported that Ivory Coast’s head coach, Emerse Fae, hailed JJ Okocha among the top three greatest African footballers of all time.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winning coach, named Okocha, alongside Ballon d'Or winner George Weah and four-time African best Yaya Toure.
Source: Legit.ng
