Jay Jay Okocha Makes FIFA Awards Selection Panel For 2017
Jay Jay Okocha is a football legend.
In Nigeria, we consider him a legend. So does the rest of the footballing world. The number of tributes that poured in for his 44th birthday shows how much football fans hold him in high esteem.
Happy Birthday, Jay-Jay #Okocha!
Because taking players on once is too mainstream 👌 @IAmOkocha pic.twitter.com/6zi5EdxvfT
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) August 14, 2017
Every year, FIFA puts together a panel of football legends who select a 23-man short list for the Player of the Year Award, Best Football Coach among others in the male and female categories.
This year our very own Jay Jay Okocha is on the selection panel for the male category. He joins other football legends like Carles Puyol from Spain, Diego Maradona from Argentina, Cafu from Brazil, Edwin Van Der Sal from Netherlands and more.
The 23-man shortlist for Best FIFA Footballer of the Year (Male) includes big football stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Antoine Greizmann, Toni Kroos, Neymar, Alexis Sanchez, Manuel Neuer, Luis Suarez and a host of others.
The list would be voted on by key members of the footballing community such as sports journalists, fans, national team coaches and captain. The final 3 nominees will be announced later and the winner of the award will be announced on the 23rd of October, 2017 in London.
