Nigerian football legend Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha has paid tribute to Ghanaian greats Abedi Ayew “Pele” and Tony Yeboah by including them in his list of the five greatest African players of all time.
Speaking on his selections, Okocha ranked former Black Stars captain Abedi Pele second, followed by prolific striker Tony Yeboah in third place. At the top of his list stood Liberian icon George Weah, the only African to have ever won the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
Okocha, who turned 52 this month, placed himself fourth on the list and rounded it off with Ivorian legend Didier Drogba in fifth.
The Nigerian maestro, widely regarded as one of Africa’s most gifted playmakers, won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996. At club level, he shone for Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, and Paris Saint-Germain, where he famously mentored a young Ronaldinho.
Abedi Pele and Yeboah remain two of Ghana’s most celebrated football exports. Pele, nicknamed the “Maestro,” guided Olympique Marseille to UEFA Champions League glory in 1993 and won the African Footballer of the Year award three times. Yeboah, meanwhile, terrorised defences across Europe, twice winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot with Eintracht Frankfurt before cementing cult-hero status at Leeds United, where he was named Player of the Year in 1996.
Weah, who tops Okocha’s list, starred for AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan, later enjoying spells with Chelsea and Manchester City before transitioning into politics, ultimately serving as Liberia’s president.
