Former Super Eagles captains, Jay Jay Okocha and John Obi Mikel have revealed how their names were changed.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, both former Nigeria internationals explained the circumstances that led to their name changes.
Okocha became known as Jay Jay through a nickname he was given while playing street football. The nickname came from his younger brother, James, who is the real Jay Jay.
Mikel said his name was changed from Michael to Mikel during the Under-17 tournament when they went to print the players’ names. He added that the name he submitted was Michael, but Mikel was printed on his shirt.
Asked how the name Jay Jay stuck, Okocha said, “Well, I think it started all in the neighbourhood where we grew up. You know, all of us were footballers because we had no other toys. We were just on the street playing.
“And my two brothers played as well, so we had a few Austins. So, to identify which Austin was which, they started calling me Austin Jay Jay’s brother.
“So, from there, Austin Jay Jay stuck. So, when I travelled, some people were struggling to pronounce my name, ‘Augustine’. So, ‘Jay Jay’ was a lot easier. So, I said I might as well adopt the name, and I put it in my passport. Yeah, it’s in my passport now. It’s officially mine.”
Mikel added, “That’s like me as well. I changed my name. You remember the story? At the Under-17 tournament, when they went to print the names, I gave them Michael. They came back with Mikel, and Mikel sounds better than Michael.
“I had a fantastic tournament. I was like, you know what? I’m just gonna keep it. Of course, I put it in my passport as well.”