Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest defender, Olaoluwa Temitayo Aina, has included Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Mohammed Salah in his choice of the greatest African footballers to play in the English Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 27-year-old versatile full-back was a guest on the Premier League’s blind-ranking segment, where he was asked to place African players into a top-five list.
That list includes Nigerian legends – Austin Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo. The list in full;
1. Didier Drogba
A famous name amongst the Chelsea faithful, Drogba scored the goal that won Chelsea’s first UEFA Champions League trophy in 2012. Across two Chelsea stints, the Ivorian scored 104 goals and provided 64 assists in 254 Premier League games, alongside lifting the league title four times.
“Of course, I knew it was Didier. He’s number one. I’d have picked him if he came up first,” Aina said in the interview.
2. Yaya Touré
The second Ivorian on Aina’s list. Touré was a part of the team that laid the foundation for Pep Guardiola’s success with Manchester City. The ex-Barca man scored 60 goals and provided 33 assists in 230 Premier League games from the middle of the park. He lifted the English Premier League trophy three times.
3. Austin Jay-Jay Okocha
So good, they had to name him twice. Unlike the others, Okocha didn’t have a trophy-laden career in the English top flight, but he was a joy to watch whenever he was on the ball. His flair, skills and trickery made the ticket fee worth the price for the spectators. In four seasons at Bolton, the 1994 AFCON winner scored 18 goals and nine assists across all competitions.
See here;
4. Nwankwo Kanu
A two-time Premier League Champion with Arsenal, Kanu was a member of the Arsene Wenger team that finished the 2003/2004 season unbeaten. He also played for West Brom and Portsmouth after leaving Arsenal. In 271 Premier League games, Papilo scored 54 goals and provided 33 assists.
5. Mohammed Salah
The 2018 FIFA Puskás Award winner ranks 5th in Ola Aina’s list. Salah is the only player on this list that’s actively involved in football. A one-time Premier League winner, the Egyptian has the most goals on Aina’s list, scoring 157 goals and providing 69 assists in 263 Premier League games for Liverpool.