Nigerian legend Jay Jay Okocha reminisces about his glory days with Fenerbahce and explains how he acquired Turkish citizenship and the unusually chosen name Muhammed Yavuz while he was a player for the team in the past.
When lauding a member of Fenerbahce’s coaching staff as the source of his new Turkish name, Okocha said this.
Between 1996 and 1998, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder played for Fenerbahce for two seasons after moving to Turkey from Frankfurt in a €1 million deal.
In an interview with Hurriyet, Okocha said, I spent two years in Turkey, and it was a really good time for me. People loved me very much. Our fans were amazing.
As for this kind of offer, I received Turkish citizenship without thinking. I didn’t want to change my religion, but I got this name because I knew that Muslims loved the name Muhammad.
He added, “I accepted this name because it’s sacred and important for Muslims. Our facility manager was Yavuz. He was very sympathetic and would make us laugh a lot. I asked him and put my lineage Yavuz. So my name was Muhammed Yavuz.”
Okocha, who eventually joined PSG from Fenerbahce, also played for Bolton during his professional career.
Jay Jay recently said that in today’s transfer market, he would be worth €150million.
source: FootballApp
