Okocha Receives Player Of The Match Award From FIFA 28 Years After Super Eagles Dramatic Win Against Spain

Super Eagles legend Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha a special “Superior Player of the Match” award for his impressive display in Nigeria’s dramatic 3–2 against Spain in their opening match at the France 1998 FIFA World Cup.

In a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday Okocha unveiled the silver trophy from a custom case.

“Hello, this is JJ Okocha. I’m about to unveil this special award being given to me by FIFA,” the 52-year-old said in the clip.

“It was given to me for winning the Superior Man of the Match in a World Cup game, Nigeria versus Spain 1998.

“Special thank you to Michelob ULTRA and Copa90 for this amazing recognition. I’m so honoured to receive it,” he added.

The award forms part of a collaborative initiative by Michelob ULTRA and football content platform Copa90 to retrospectively honour standout displays from World Cups before the official Player of the Match award was introduced in 2002.

According to the organisers, they searched through archives to recognise deserving players across hundreds of matches.

On June 13, 1998, at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, France, Okocha delivered a standout performance in a Group D match.

Although he did not score, the midfielder’s dribbling, vision, and creativity unsettled the Spanish defence, which featured players such as Fernando Hierro and Raúl.

Nigeria came from behind to secure a famous 3–2 victory, with goals from Mutiu Adepoju, an own goal, and a long-range strike from Sunday Oliseh.