Nigerian legend, Jay Jay Okocha, has relived his glory days with Fenerbahce explaining the reasons behind him getting Turkish citizenship and a unique adopted name, Muhammed Yavuz, while playing for the club in the past.
Okocha stated this while hailing a member of Fenerbahce’s coaching staff as an inspiration behind his adopted Turkish name.
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder represented Fenerbahce for two seasons from 1996 to 1998 after joining the Turkish giants from German club Frankfurt in a €1 million deal.
In an interview with Hurriyet, Okocha said, “I spent two years in Turkey and it was a really good time for me. People loved me very much. Our fans were amazing.
“As for this kind of offer, I received Turkish citizenship without thinking. I didn’t want to change my religion, but I got this name because I knew that Muslims loved the name, Muhammad.”
He added, “I accepted this name because it’s very sacred and very important for Muslims. Our facility manager was Yavuz. He was very sympathetic, he would make us laugh a lot.
“I asked him and put my lineage Yavuz. So my name was Muhammed Yavuz.”
Okocha, who eventually joined PSG from Fenerbahce, also played for Bolton during his professional career.
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