Former Nigerian football star Augustine “Jay Jay” Okocha has revealed the story behind the famous nickname that eventually became part of his official identity.
Speaking during an interview, Okocha explained that the nickname originated from his childhood neighbourhood, where he and his two brothers were all footballers.
According to him, because there were several people named Austin in the neighbourhood, people began identifying him as “Austin Jay Jay’s brother”, after his older brother James, whose nickname was Jay Jay.
He said the name stuck when he travelled abroad, as people struggled to pronounce “Augustine.” He therefore decided to adopt Jay Jay as his name.
Interviewer: “A lot of people might not know this, but your name is not Jay Jay, it is a nickname you came from your brother James. Why did it stick?”
Jay Jay Okocha: “Well I think it started off in the neighborhood where we all grew up. All of us were footballers because we had no other toys. And my two brothers played as well. We had few Austin’s then. So to identify which Austin is which, they started calling me Austin Jay Jay’s brother. So from there Austin Jay Jay. When I came to traveled, people were struggling to pronounce my name Augustine. So I said Jay Jay was a lot easier and I said I might as well adopt the name. It’s now in my passport. It’s officially mine. But I still pay royalties to my brother….”