Austin Okocha, the illustrious captain of Nigeria who turned 50 on Monday, has received birthday wishes from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Paris Saint-Germain, and FIFA.
Bolton Wanderers and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also conveyed birthday greetings to the legendary player.
Okocha made his Super Eagles debut in 1993 against Côte d’Ivoire in the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifying for the following year.
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He participated in the 1994 World Cup and was a member of the Super Eagles team that won the AFCON in Tunisia in 1994.
He then played in the 1998 World Cup in France and the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.
He was a key contributor to Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles, known as the “Dream Team,” winning the gold medal in football at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Okocha has experience playing for clubs including Qatar SC, Bolton Wanderers, Hull City, Fenerbahce, PSG, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Bolton.
He won the title of Nigerian Footballer of the Year seven times, BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and November 2003 Premier League Player of the Month.
Additionally, the 2004 AFCON MVP and the 2004–2005 Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year.