‘I forgot my name’ – Okocha recalls Turkish passport experience during Fenerbahce stint
Former Super Eagles captain Jay Jay Okocha has revealed how Fenerbahce gave him a Turkish passport under a different name so as to keep him at the club.
Okocha said the unusual arrangement came after Paris Saint-Germain made an approach for him, with Fenerbahce refusing to allow their star midfielder to leave.
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Speaking on the Obi-One podcast, the Nigerian legend recalled how the Turkish club asked him to choose a local name for his passport.
He selected “Muhammed Yahuz”, borrowing the name from a Fenerbahce staff member he was fond of.
‘I forgot my name’
Okocha said he was not accustomed to being addressed by his adopted identity when he first travelled with the Turkish passport.
“The first day I was travelling with this passport, I sat down on my seat. So they were telling me, ‘Welcome Mr. Yahuz.’ I didn’t know I was the one they were talking to. I forgot my name,” he said.
The former Bolton Wanderers star explained that Fenerbahce had gone to the extent of securing the passport because of their determination to retain him.
“They gave me Turkish passport with Turkish name. They asked me to choose Turkish name, so the easiest one was Muhammed… was a guy that was working for us. So we all loved him, so I picked his name,” Okocha said.
The arrangement became one of the more unusual events of his playing career, but Okocha said the club’s attachment to him ultimately created a difficult situation when PSG came calling.
Okocha had to force PSG move
According to the Nigerian, Fenerbahce initially made it clear that they had no intention of selling him to the French club.
“When PSG came, they said I’m not leaving, I can’t leave, I’m not for sale. So I had to run away, stop training,” he said.
Okocha eventually completed his move to PSG in 1998 for a reported €12.4 million, ending his two-year stay in Turkey.
He said the club’s reluctance to let him go was evidence of the strong relationship he had developed with Fenerbahce.
“It was a problem for me to leave. They didn’t want me to leave, which is a good problem,” Okocha said.
The former Nigeria captain remains fondly remembered in Turkey and continues to travel there with the passport, although he is still widely recognised by his famous nickname, JJ.