'Outrageous skills' - Everton's Alex Iwobi on influence of Bolton Wanderers legend Jay-Jay Okocha
Everton's Iwobi is the nephew of Wanderers legend Okocha
Everton's Alex Iwobi of spoken of his uncle Jay-Jay Okocha and how he models his game on the Bolton Wanderers legend.
Okocha played 18 goals in 144 games for Wanderers between 2002 and 2006, after moving from Paris Saint-Germain. His style of play provided countless memories for supporters which live in the memory to this day.
Everton attacker Iwobi, a Nigeria international like his uncle, has spoken of his memories of Okocha in his playing days and the 'outrageous' skills he displayed, which he has added part of to his game. He looked up to Okocha as a youngster and now finds it surreal that kids do the same with him, but it is something he enjoys.
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“He was an entertaining player to watch, and the skills he used to do were outrageous skills, that you only really see freestylers do,” he told the Premier League’s No Room for Racism campaign which is taking place all October for Black History Month.
“So, yeah, hopefully the younger viewers will learn a bit more about him and understand why I chuck in some skills too.
“I mean, that’s what kids want to see, you know – people having fun. He was a fun guy to watch.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m just that same kid that wants to express myself and play football but when I do realise that ‘Wow, I have an influence on kids’. It’s mad. I just want to put positive things out there for them.
“It’s nice that kids look up to me and try to imitate me and play like me because I was once that kid who used to look up to my uncle. I find it weird but I do enjoy it.”
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