Nigerian football legend Jay-Jay Okocha has finally cleared up the mystery behind his iconic moniker, revealing that he actually inherited the name from his eldest brother, James.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast hosted by former Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi, the former Super Eagles captain explained that the nickname was never originally meant for him.

According to the maestro, the name “Jay-Jay” first belonged to his oldest brother, James, whose own promising football career was tragically cut short by severe injuries.

The nickname, which started as a shortened version of “James,” became so popular in their neighborhood that it eventually turned into a family trademark.

The footballing name traveled down the family tree before reaching the midfield maestro. As reported by Pulse Sports, the middle Okocha brother, Emmanuel, briefly took over the mantle and was known as “Emma Jay-Jay” during his own playing days.

When the youngest brother, Augustine, burst onto the scene, fans and commentators initially referred to him simply as “Jay-Jay’s brother.”

The name became permanent when the superstar midfielder moved to Germany to begin his professional career in Europe.

Okocha revealed that European clubs and fans struggled to pronounce his birth name, Augustine.

To make things easier for everyone, he decided to officially adopt “Jay-Jay” and even went as well as putting it in his international passport.

During the podcast interview, Okocha jokingly stated that he still owes his older brother royalties for the name, noting that it brought him an immense amount of luck throughout his legendary career.

The name would go on to inspire one of English football’s most famous chants during his time at Bolton Wanderers: ‘Jay-Jay, so good they named him twice.’

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