Okocha receives FIFA Man of the Match award 28 years after Super Eagles’ spectacular victory against Spain

Super Eagles legend Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha received the special ‘Top Man of the Match’ award for his impressive performance in Nigeria’s dramatic 3-2 defeat of Spain in their opening match of the 1998 FIFA World Cup France.

In a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, Okocha revealed the silver trophy from a personalized case.

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

“They gave it to me for winning the Top Player of the Match in a World Cup match, Nigeria versus Spain 1998.

“A special thank you to Michelob ULTRA and Copa90 for this incredible recognition. I feel very honored to receive it,” he added.

The award is part of a collaborative initiative between Michelob ULTRA and football content platform Copa90 to retrospectively honor outstanding performances from World Cups before the official Man of the Match award was introduced in 2002.

According to the organizers, they searched the archives to recognize deserving players in hundreds of matches.

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

Although he did not score, the midfielder’s dribbling, vision and creativity worried the Spanish defense, which included players like Fernando Hierro and Raúl.

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