Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has described former Super Eagles midfielder Austin Jay-Jay Okocha as an incredible talent and one of the best players he ever shared the pitch with.
Mikel Arteta and Jay-Jay Okocha briefly crossed paths during the 2001/2002 season at Paris Saint-Germain. Arteta, a young talent on loan from Barcelona, and Okocha, in his final season with the club, formed an intriguing midfield duo.
Although their time together was short-lived, the experience undoubtedly influenced Arteta’s development, allowing him to witness the brilliance of the Nigerian maestro firsthand.

It was Okocha’s last season at the club before moving to the English Premier League with Bolton Wanderers while Arteta made a permanent move to the Scottish Premiership with Glasgow Rangers.
Despite playing just one season together, Okocha left a huge mark on the career of the 20-year-old who went on to flourish. Arteta also went on to play in the Premier League with successful careers at Everton and Arsenal before moving to Manchester City as an assistant manager to Pep Guardiola.
In a documentary released by SkySports, “Transfer 360: How Bolton secured the signing of Jay-Jay Okocha from PSG, Arteta heaped praise on Okocha for his incredible talent, also revealing that despite spending just one season with the ex-Nigeria international, he learned a lot about the Nigerian.

“Unbelievable, one of the best players I ever played with; he was a joy to watch,” Arteta said in the documentary. “Incredible natural talent. He was a magician. He could do anything that he wanted with the ball. He could play any pass. He is very charismatic and has a very good personality I learned a lot from him.
Aside from Okocha, Arteta has also spoken glowingly about Nicolas Anelka, Mauricio Pochettino, and Ronaldinho, whom he played with at the club.
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