To many, they were the reason they started watching football. They romanced the beautiful leather piece and delivered classy performances weekly, monthly and yearly. They were so good that some of them became demi gods to both fans and up and coming talents. Their perfection of the round leather game was the reason the world started looking for possible replacements even before they neared retirement.
This is an article that serves to highlight some of these players who showed so much signs and quality especially at the beginning of their careers that we thought they would be able to fill the huge shoes left behind by their idols, but who eventually fizzled out without being able to fulfill the promise they showed at the beginning. You can find the first part here.
THE NEXT JAY JAY OKOCHAs
The man that was so good they named him twice. Jay Jay Okocha was a class act and arguably the best African player of his generation. His effortless dances in the middle of the pitch and inch perfect passes set the template for many all over the world to emulate. He was joyful and entertaining to watch, usually delivering quality performances without breaking a sweat. He was the standard that others coming behind him were measured and expected to emulate.
First on the list of the next Okocha is John Mikel Obi. The midfielder burst onto the scene in the 2005 World Youth Championship after winning the silver ball for the second best player at the tournament, behind Lionel Messi.
Originally posted on YouTube by FMPprod
Shortly after the tournament, Mikel was courted by both Manchester United and Chelsea in a controversial transfer saga that ended with Chelsea having to pay Man United £16m and his parent club Lyn Oslo £4m as compensation, in a bid to acquire his signature.
At Chelsea, he was drafted into the defensive midfield position under Mourinho as the team was already well stocked in the attacking midfield area, with the likes of Lampard, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack. From an attacking midfielder with flair and an eye for a killer pass to competing with Makelele for a starting berth as a DM, it definitely wasn't the best route at succeeding Okocha. Mikel went on to thrive in the position under numerous managers, winning numerous titles including the UCL.
Considered one of the most successful African players, he had a fulfilling and successful career at Chelsea, spending 14 years at Stamford Bridge before departing for China. Same could be said of his national team career which climaxed with the 2013 AFCON win.
But one thing was sure, the wonderkid of 2005 who was tipped to succeed Okocha and challenge the likes of Messi for the Balon D'or wasn't the same with the one that thrived at Chelsea. One was skillful and sleek with an eye of the needle passing ability, while the other was a sturdy, physical destroyer.
The next player on the list is perhaps the most disappointing. His name is Haruna Lukman. The playmaker first made waves during the FIFA u17 world cup in Korea in 2007. He was skillful, with a delicate touch, an eye for a pass and a nag for scoring screamers. Haruna had all the ingredients of being the next Jay Jay. He joined the Monaco junior team after the world cup hoping to kick start a successful career in Europe.
Originally posted on YouTube by Vlad Pantolik
After being promoted to the first team, He spent two years there, scoring 3 goals in 44 appearances before leaving for Dynamo Kiev after the team was relegated. That was the beginning of a downward spiral for the talented midfielder as he was sent out on loan to FC Anzhi Makhachkala in 2015 before a further loan to FC Astana meant he couldn't make it back to the top.
The football star had a couple of trials with clubs like RC Lens, Odense BoldKlub and FK Kadar before eventually joining FK Palanga in March 2018. Haruna's story has been kind of ominous as no one seems to know what went wrong and why his career stagnated and eventually nosdived. He ended up being just another player with the skill set and ability to emulate his idol, but failed to even properly pedal his own career and fell into oblivion.
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