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German professional soccer star Mario Gomez has explained the role played by former Super Eagles midfield maestro Austin JJ Okocha for him to become a better football player.
While having a memoir about his football career, the 31-year-old forward stated that his career was positively affected by the former Nigerian football star stressing that he would forever remain indebted to Austin JJ Okocha.
'I didn’t like watching football on TV. It was always so boring to me. Why sit in front of the screen, when you could go outside and play the game for real? “Papi, let’s go outside!” I’d say, tugging on his arm. “Let’s play!” One evening when I was about seven or eight, he had finally had enough. Instead of shooing me away, he sat me down right next to him. I want you to see this, Mario. Just watch.
''My father pointed at the television, Look! There! Right now and When I looked up, there was an Eintracht Frankfurt player on the screen.
“He dribbled the ball around the other team’s goalkeeper, then around a defender, and then around another defender – just toying with them – until he chipped it easily into the goal.
“Woahhhhhh,” I said. What did he just do?” “See?” my father said. That’s Jay-Jay Okocha and there’s no one else like him.
“From that moment, I dreamed of playing like Jay-Jay. He was my idol. The way he moved the ball – he was like an artist. He did things with a ball I couldn’t even imagine. And after seeing that dribble and that goal, I watched the highlights with my father every Sunday. I even started watching matches with him as well.” the Wolfsburg forward explained.
JJ Okocha is my idol - German professional football star
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| Mario Gomez |
While having a memoir about his football career, the 31-year-old forward stated that his career was positively affected by the former Nigerian football star stressing that he would forever remain indebted to Austin JJ Okocha.
'I didn’t like watching football on TV. It was always so boring to me. Why sit in front of the screen, when you could go outside and play the game for real? “Papi, let’s go outside!” I’d say, tugging on his arm. “Let’s play!” One evening when I was about seven or eight, he had finally had enough. Instead of shooing me away, he sat me down right next to him. I want you to see this, Mario. Just watch.
''My father pointed at the television, Look! There! Right now and When I looked up, there was an Eintracht Frankfurt player on the screen.
“He dribbled the ball around the other team’s goalkeeper, then around a defender, and then around another defender – just toying with them – until he chipped it easily into the goal.
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| Austin Jay Jay Okocha |
“From that moment, I dreamed of playing like Jay-Jay. He was my idol. The way he moved the ball – he was like an artist. He did things with a ball I couldn’t even imagine. And after seeing that dribble and that goal, I watched the highlights with my father every Sunday. I even started watching matches with him as well.” the Wolfsburg forward explained.
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