Former Super Eagles captain Augustine Okocha has reflected on the famous solo goal he scored against former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, saying the moment played a major role in changing the course of his career.
Okocha scored the memorable goal while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, dribbling past Kahn before calmly finding the back of the net.
Speaking on the Obi-Wan podcast on Monday, the Nigerian football legend, popularly known as JJ, said the goal was a major turning point that brought him international recognition beyond Germany.
According to Okocha, Kahn was enjoying one of the best periods of his career at the time, shortly before his eventual transfer to Bayern Munich.
He recalled that the spectacular goal received extensive television coverage across Europe, even though it was scored before the rise of social media.
Okocha explained that he did not deliberately delay his shot to humiliate Kahn. Instead, he said he was simply waiting for the right opportunity to get his shot away after repeatedly finding an opponent in his path.
He also revealed that his Frankfurt manager later joked that the goal had effectively saved his place in the team.
Okocha said the manager told him that if he had failed to score after taking so long to release the ball, he would not have played for the club again for as long as the manager remained in charge.
The former midfielder said he has crossed paths with Kahn since then but has never brought up the famous incident with him.
Okocha joked that Kahn’s imposing appearance and serious personality made it difficult to start such a conversation.
The Nigerian star rose to prominence at Eintracht Frankfurt after beginning his European career with a lower-division German club. He later played for Fenerbahçe, Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers, establishing himself as one of Africa’s most celebrated attacking midfielders.
