Nigeria football icon Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha has received a special retroactive award recognising his outstanding performance in the Super Eagles’ memorable 3-2 victory over Spain at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The former Super Eagles captain was presented with the “Superior Player of the Match” award, an honour created to celebrate exceptional individual displays from World Cup tournaments before FIFA officially introduced the Player of the Match award in 2002.
Okocha revealed the recognition in a video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, where he unveiled the silver trophy from a specially designed case.
“Hello, this is JJ Okocha. I’m about to unveil this special award being given to me by FIFA,” Okocha said.
“It was given to me for winning the Superior Man of the Match in a World Cup game, Nigeria versus Spain 1998.
“Special thank you to Michelob ULTRA and Copa90 for this amazing recognition. I’m so honoured to receive it.”
The award is part of a joint initiative between Michelob ULTRA and football media platform Copa90 aimed at revisiting historic World Cup matches to identify and honour players whose performances stood out before the existence of the official individual match award.
READ ALSO: FIFA Hails Okocha’s Historic World Cup Record
Organisers said extensive reviews of World Cup archives were conducted to ensure deserving players from previous tournaments received recognition for their contributions.
Okocha’s award-winning performance came on June 13, 1998, at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, France, during Nigeria’s opening Group D fixture against Spain.
Although the gifted midfielder did not get on the scoresheet, his dazzling dribbling, creativity and ability to dictate play proved decisive as the Super Eagles stunned one of the tournament favourites.
Okocha repeatedly troubled a Spanish side that featured stars such as Fernando Hierro and Raúl, helping Nigeria overturn a deficit to secure one of the greatest victories in the nation’s football history.
Goals from Mutiu Adepoju, a Spanish own goal and a spectacular long-range strike from Sunday Oliseh sealed the dramatic win for Nigeria.
The victory ultimately helped the Super Eagles finish top of their group, although their World Cup journey ended in the Round of 16 following a defeat to Denmark.
Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most talented footballers, Okocha’s performance against Spain remains one of the most celebrated individual displays by a Nigerian player on the global stage.
The latest recognition arrives as the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Okocha’s heroics from France ’98 continuing to inspire generations of football fans despite Nigeria’s absence from the tournament.