Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta Recalls Playing Alongside Jay Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho at PSG

Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta Recalls Playing Alongside Jay Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho at PSG

  • Jay Jay Okocha joined PSG in 1998 and played alongside Ronaldinho, Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino before he departed in 2002
  • Arteta, who is currently in charge at Arsenal Football Club, recalled sharing the pitch with some of the most skilful footballers
  • The Spaniard fondly remembers the great days at PSG, reminiscing when he would have to defend during training sessions

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has recalled his fond moments at Paris Saint-Germain, playing alongside Jay Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho.

The French club had some of the biggest players in world football in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Nicolas Anelka, Mauricio Pochettino, Batholomew Ogbeche, and Aliou Cisse were part of the star-studded squad during the 2001/2002 season.

Jay Jay Okocha shared the pitch with Ronaldinho and Mikel Arteta at PSG
Mikel Arteta has hailed Jay Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho's talents. Photo: Xavier Laine.
Source: Getty Images

The competitive spirit in the team left a lasting impression on Arteta, who is now the manager of one of the biggest English clubs.

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Arteta recently spoke about the excitement of playing with legendary football talents Jay-Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho.

He stated that it was a dream come true for any player, as their creativity and unpredictability challenged opponents.

Arteta reminisces about some of the training sessions when he had to defend against the most skilful players at the time.

He told GOAL's Front Three:

"Imagine me being a defender; imagine the amount of defending I'd have to do if I had Jay-Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho in front of me.
"I'd have an airport next to me to run to when we didn't have the ball."

The Spaniard hailed Okocha's competitive skills, saying the Nigerian football icon was passionate about winning.

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Arteta added:

"They were incredible, and Jay-Jay was very competitive."

Okocha left the French club in 2002 to join English club Bolton Wanderers.

PSG celebrate Okocha

Legit.ng earlier reported that French Ligue 1 club PSG celebrated the 26th-year anniversary of signing former Nigerian national team captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.

Okocha was one of the early Nigerians to play for European clubs and had a professional career that spanned 17 years in Europe, playing in England, Germany, Turkey and France.

The club uploaded a nine-slide clip on their Instagram page to celebrate the 26th year anniversary of the 1996 Olympic gold medallist joining the Paris club.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Babajide Orevba avatar

Babajide Orevba (Sports Editor) Babajide Orevba is a CAF-accredited Nigerian journalist, digital publishing expert, researcher, writer and TV analyst. He has covered several major football tournaments including FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, AFCON, CAF Competitions as well as grassroots competitions within Nigeria. Email: babajide.orevba@corp.legit.ng

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