Cybereagles

If I am starting a team today, and I have to decide between and show boat like Okocha and
and a mastermind like Kanu, I will not hesitate to take Kanu.
Okocha is great, but what he brought to Naija soccer, bombastic flair, has affected the fans
to the point they overlook the meat of the game - focus and team discipline. I doubt Okocha
would make that Ajax team Kanu played on while winning the Champions League title. Neither
can Okocha make that Arsenal team with Wenger in charge.
Most Naijas love too much flair, and wonder why they cannot be winning like the Germans do.

I would rather a disciplined German team with not one superstar than an Argentina with so
many stars that can make unending dribbles and ball tricks.

Comparing Kanu's medals to Okocha's resolves this argument better.

kajifu wrote:

marko wrote:Okocha was one of the last dying breeds of the classic Number 10, you talk about the Zidanes, Ronaldinho, okocha, only thing lacking in his career was he applied discipline quite late, if he had the discipline he displayed at Bolton a couple years back, he would have played for the likes of Barca, united, real madrid

I dont think he did not play for likes of Manu and Barca has anything to do with discipline. Even at Bolton he could have still play for big club,its boil down to luck and been Afrixa alot goes against you.If he was Brazilian trust me after psg he would have been in clubs like Real and Milan with a world record fee.

George weah was African and played at the highest levels for the likes of AC Milan, okocha was inconsistent in his career, that's why he ended up at Bolton, not because he was African, he played his best club football at Bolton, that says a lot, first season, they barely managed to survive relegation, 2nd season was his best, finishing 6th in the league, lets put that into perspective, Kanu won everything there was to win in European club football, Kanu football intelligence was superior to Okocha but Okocha had the better skills

Enugu II wrote:

kolinzo wrote:You guys just don't like to tell the truth. Okocha was on another level from Kanu. This na fact.

Really? I no gree, even though I will pick Okocha over Kanu but they were relativity both great players (These are GOAT-type guys). Okocha, however, created dribbles that were never previously used by any one. He was that inventive. Kanu did not create special dribbles but he was a great player in his own right. He was the star of the Olympic gold won by Nigeria. Okocha's big stage was the WC of 1998 and then the CAN of 2004.

Kanu is a legend, but his legendary still get k-leg when it comes to GWG. He underachieved for Naija big time. He was not a leader. He rarely scored goals, being a forward. He was really poor at scoring goals for somebody who was a forward. He disappeared in many of the ANCs he played in (not a single goal is registered in his name). He was really disappointing. The stage was too big for him to be sincere.

Speaking of Olympics, Okocha also played a fine role in that tournament (granted he missed a penalty against Brazil and he was subbed out later on). Kanu was the golden boy for the goals he scored against Brazil and that will forever remain a golden moment (even though Amuneke's goal won the final game against Brazil), but Olympic was the big stage for all of the guys that played in that tourney. They were boyz II men.

Okocha on the other hand, was never afraid of any stage. Okocha was always ready to fight the war for his club and Naija. Okocha was no doubt a leader of men and oh...he did that so well. He gave his teammates hope with presence. He was just marvelous. Some remember him for his dribblings but many of us remember him for the fear he put in opponents' mind. With Okocha we were able to beat Ghana and Cameroon in my lifetime. There was nothing Kanu could do that Okocha couldn't do, times 10. He was majestic. He was magical. He was fantastic.

joao wrote:If I am starting a team today, and I have to decide between and show boat like Okocha and
and a mastermind like Kanu, I will not hesitate to take Kanu.
Okocha is great, but what he brought to Naija soccer, bombastic flair, has affected the fans
to the point they overlook the meat of the game - focus and team discipline. I doubt Okocha
would make that Ajax team Kanu played on while winning the Champions League title. Neither
can Okocha make that Arsenal team with Wenger in charge.
Most Naijas love too much flair, and wonder why they cannot be winning like the Germans do.

I would rather a disciplined German team with not one superstar than an Argentina with so
many stars that can make unending dribbles and ball tricks.

Comparing Kanu's medals to Okocha's resolves this argument better.

What did Kanu bring to Naija? Don't mention underage ooo...cos Bentley and babyface performed wonders too in the under age tourneys.

Jay Jay made an impact on the art of football. Technically is one of the masters of the art. Forget the medals, his ability with a football at his feet is what sets him apart. He's a special football player and should rightly be an ambassador for the game. He played with a smile on his face and made fans of his team and opponents cheer in marvel.

Really don't see any argument here. Even though Kanu is a hero of mine and is a major reason I am a gooner today, Okocha is a footballing genius.

Blukyt wrote:Jay Jay made an impact on the art of football. Technically is one of the masters of the art. Forget the medals, his ability with a football at his feet is what sets him apart. He's a special football player and should rightly be an ambassador for the game. He played with a smile on his face and made fans of his team and opponents cheer in marvel.

We can go ahead and conclude the thread with this video.

[/video]

joao wrote:If I am starting a team today, and I have to decide between and show boat like Okocha and
and a mastermind like Kanu, I will not hesitate to take Kanu.
Okocha is great, but what he brought to Naija soccer, bombastic flair, has affected the fans
to the point they overlook the meat of the game - focus and team discipline. I doubt Okocha
would make that Ajax team Kanu played on while winning the Champions League title. Neither
can Okocha make that Arsenal team with Wenger in charge.
Most Naijas love too much flair, and wonder why they cannot be winning like the Germans do.

I would rather a disciplined German team with not one superstar than an Argentina with so
many stars that can make unending dribbles and ball tricks.

Comparing Kanu's medals to Okocha's resolves this argument better.

Let us not forget Wiltord was the player that kept kanu on the bench at Arsenal. WILTORD for goodness sake. A man who single handily carried a Bolton not as a role player but as the Main player, na you dey ask if e go make that Arsenal Team SMH.

i have one question for those that argue or try to put Kanu in the same class as jay jay............. Abeg una fit name 1 team where Kanu was the main man of the team? Ajax? Arsenal?......

King Kanu - The greatest Nigerian player ever...

The Eagle wrote:

Blukyt wrote:Jay Jay made an impact on the art of football. Technically is one of the masters of the art. Forget the medals, his ability with a football at his feet is what sets him apart. He's a special football player and should rightly be an ambassador for the game. He played with a smile on his face and made fans of his team and opponents cheer in marvel.

We can go ahead and conclude the thread with this video.

[/video]

this na Ojoro, Please no videos allowed.

It seems JJ has hired the Buhari Propaganda machine. Has Lolly Mohammed diversified to Eagles Nest? These tales by the moonlight are becoming alarming.

Are we talking about the same JJ with the record listed below?


viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20289&hilit=wasted+15+freekicks

asabatex wrote:King Kanu - The greatest Nigerian player ever...

Rasheedi Yekini (RIP) is ahead of him on that list .... as is Vincent Enyeama, whom I believe is the holder of the international caps record, was the starting goalkeeper at 6 Nations Cup tournaments and 3 World Cups, and was, at each of these 9 major tournaments, critically indispensable in a way that Kanu (for all his undoubted talent) never was at any tournament for Nigeria.

He isn't even the only Nigerian player to win trophies for European clusb. Mikel Obi did that, won an Olympic medal like Kanu, and also won a Nations Cup title for Nigeria unlike Kanu. Personally .... well .... Sunday Mba's two goals in 2013 are more important to me (and to Nigeria) than Yakubu's 20 goals in one season for Middlesbrough.

I would argue there are players from as far back as the 1940s, and the decades since, whose influence on the development/culture/institution/progress of Nigerian football exceeds that of Kanu. It would actually be nice if we hyped them as much as the English and Americans hype their own legendary sporting figures. Speaking of which, Stephen Keshi (RIP) won the continental trophy as a player and a manager, consigning to the dustbin the colo-mental notion that we couldn't win the trophy without a white coach.

No .... Kanu is one of our most supremely gifted players .... but "greatest ever Nigerian player" is a title even Kanu himself would politely decline.

Both are my best of all time. I adore both players for different reasons.

Jayjay, for sheer audacity, flair, entertainment, and passion on the field. Kanu for genius-level IQ, flair, and effectiveness on the pitch. Kanu remains under-appreciated due to the hardluck of not scoring enough goals for the SE in international tournaments. If you ask his teammates, they will tell you that he made everyone around him better on the pitch. Anyone that took time to watch Kanu at Portsmouth will testify to that.

I love both players.

Kanu was great! but tbh only a very select few people remember him. Okocha on the other hand though