Playing to the Gallery - Austin Jay-jay Okocha should be playing in a magic circus or futsal...unbelivable what he does with the ball.
Rarely in recent memory has The Sport Marketing Roundtable presented a show so propitiously timed as “The Magic-dancing Dribbler.” The 20-video slides documentary that highlighted Austin Jay Jay Okocha-era from Eintracht Frankfurt to Fenerbahçe, Paris Saint-Germain to Bolton wanderers... and his showmanship skills displayed while in the Nigeria national team, is already seen by most participants as a blockbuster that will enjoy global appeal.
The football philosophy of “The dancing magic Dribbler,” often criticized as "playing to the gallery" is to first entertain the fans, and let them have a "wow experience" amidst the result of the game, something to shout about, talk about and remain in their memories days or years after the match. And just watching the presentation of his games played several years ago, participants cannot help but keep shouting as the video- slide show held everyone spellbound.
Recommended as must-see for all football fans for large swathes of audiences quarantined at home by the Corona virus pandemic. Over the course of its run, “The Magic-dancing Dribbler” may bring relief to over 50million viewers across the country. And in seizing the moment, it is time to go back to memory lane, now many sports fans are bereft of Live Football.
“It’s a funny time to celebrate any project and pat the creator on the back, but I will say, I think it was the perfect project at a really specific point in time in our historic.
“I think it had the perfect tone for what our fans are looking for at this time. We were so grateful to Mike Odogbu, who created the slide show. and we are frankly lucky that that project was ready and we were able to see it during our Sport Marketing Roundtable in June 2020.”
One thing I learned during the two month plus lockdown as I watched sport documentaries like "Football Dreams" a novella series that documented the high points of the Columbian national team's golden era; “The Last Dance.” The 10-episode documentary series about the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls premiered in May... I realized that our filmmakers haven't done much to keep the true legacy of our sports heroes and their stories.
About Austin Okocha
Augustine Azuka Okocha popularly known as Jay-Jay Okocha was born on the 14th of August, 1973 in Enugu state. He got the name from his brother nicknamed Emmanuel Jay Jay who was so named because of his football skills.
He caught the eyes of Enugu Rangers in 1990 where he quickly became a favourite after he scored a goal against former Nigerian goalkeeper, William Okpara. Bustling with inspiration, he travelled to Germany, the 1990 FIFA World Cup winner, to watch their league football.
There, he escorted his friend Binebi Numa who played for the Third Division for the Borussia Neunkirchen to training. His skills at the training bedazzled the coach who asked him to come for training the following day before giving him a contract.
Okocha made his national debut at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. During the games, Okocha made 15 dribbles against Italy for Nigeria making him hold the record for the highest dribbles in the World Cup in 52 years.
In 1996, Okocha largely influenced the team to win the Olympic gold at the Atlantic Games. By then, his dribbling skills had gotten the attention of football fans and musicians were singing his praise.
Also at the 2000 African Cup of Nations, his goals got him a standing ovation from the 60,000 people as he left the field.
Okocha would go on to play for Bolton Wanderers, Paris Saint-Germain among other teams.
In 2004, Pele listed him in the top 125 living footballers. In 2017, he was voted as the best Bolton player to play on their home ground, the Reebok/Macron Stadium while stating their favourite line about one of the greatest footballers in his generation “so good they named him twice”
