Former Super Eagles captains Jay Jay Okocha and John Obi Mikel have revealed the stories behind the names they became famous for during their football careers.

The former Nigeria internationals made the revelations on the *Obi One Podcast*, explaining how Okocha adopted the name “Jay Jay”, while Mikel changed his name from Michael to Mikel.

Okocha said the nickname “Jay Jay” originated from his childhood days playing street football. He explained that several members of his family were footballers, including his two brothers, making it necessary for people in their neighbourhood to distinguish between them.

According to him, he was initially referred to as “Austin Jay Jay’s brother”, and the nickname eventually stuck.

Okocha said the name became even more useful when he travelled abroad, as people often struggled to pronounce his given name, Augustine.

He said he eventually decided to make “Jay Jay” official by having it included in his passport.

“So, from there, Austin Jay Jay stuck. So, when I travelled, some people were struggling to pronounce my name, ‘Augustine’. So, ‘Jay Jay’ was a lot easier. So, I said I might as well adopt the name, and I put it in my passport. Yeah, it’s in my passport now. It’s officially mine.”

Mikel, meanwhile, said his name change happened by accident during an Under-17 tournament.

He recalled that he submitted “Michael” for printing on his jersey but discovered that “Mikel” had been printed instead.

Rather than correcting the error, the former Chelsea midfielder decided to keep the name after enjoying a successful tournament.

“I gave them Michael. They came back with Mikel, and Mikel sounds better than Michael. I had a fantastic tournament. I was like, you know what? I’m just gonna keep it. Of course, I put it in my passport as well.”

Both former Super Eagles captains went on to formally adopt the names, which became synonymous with their illustrious international and club careers.