Jay-Jay Okocha is arguably the biggest and most influential name in African football. The legendary number 10 from Nigeria was renowned for his dribbling and artistry on the pitch and has been idolised by generations of fans.
Okocha played a key role in helping Nigeria become the first African Nation to win the Olympic gold medal. Being the talisman for the Super Eagles, he helped Nigeria qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 1993 and then helped the nation win the African Cup of Nations the following year.
He also opened the doors for African players in Europe, becoming a legendary name and one of the most iconic dribblers. Okocha had a storied club career, playing for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain in France, Bolton Wanderers in England, and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
Recently, Okocha was named Nike’s Chief Flair Officer ahead of the African Cup of Nations, and Nike marked the occasion with an epic AFCON advert.
Amid robotic football, stifling tactics, and a very sanitized game, many have claimed that the beautiful game is getting boring. The Nike x Wieden + Kennedy campaign has presented African football as the antidote to boring modern football, with Okocha, one of the most artistic players of all time, at the center of it.
The dynamically shot video features triple AFCON winner Rasheedat Ajibade, Morocco midfielder Ismael Saibari, Ghana international Freda Ayisi, and Nigerian legend Obafemi. Moreover, African football creators like Appie, Gamey, and Wizzy are involved as well.
Nike has tried to showcase the African culture in all its glory while trying to frame African football as the antidote to the sport that has become beset by robotic systems, stifling tactics, and players getting coached to within an inch of their lives.
In the Show Dem campaign video, little kids are playing football as adults are playing board games on the sidelines, while women are cheering on the kids in traditional African attire.
Behind the goalpost, Okocha arrives in a limousine, rocking up the vintage Nigeria 1996 jersey, the same iconic green-and-white stripe that he wore as Nigeria bagged the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
He looks at the camera and says, “The word on the pitch is, the game’s got boring,” as he unbuttons his suit to reveal his Nigeria ’96 jersey before stating, “Nah, they’re just not watching”.
The video is filled with little kids performing highly skilled tricks and dribbling like prime Okocha. After Okocha’s dialogue, the very first clip features a little kid nutmegging the opposition player and then performing a series of stepovers to evade the next challenge.
In the next highlight, Okocha plays a no-look pass as he says, “They said the game is gone, let’s Show Dem where it went”.
The next piece of skill sees a kid playing a diagonal pass, and the receiving girl doesn’t just control the ball with a sumptuous first touch, she manages to trap the ball and stand on it, all within one smooth motion.
In the next highlight, the player does a hocus-pocus fakeout to trick the opponent before dribbling the ball forward and hitting multiple stepovers to evade the rushing defenders.
The next clip sees players performing the iconic Okocha Rainbow Flick before the camera focuses on a player sitting on a chair and casually juggling the ball.
In the final clip, one of the players does a 360 spin and then passes the ball to a teammate who chips the ball into the net. The players and crowd go wild and celebrate the goal as Okocha ends the video with “Show Dem, Africa”.
