MARIO Gomez has revealed that his footballing idol was none other than former Nigeria captain, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.
The German striker, currently with VfL Wolfsburg, told the The Players' Tribune that he wanted to be like Okocha upon watching the Nigerian legend toy with his rivals while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt back in the 1990s.
The former VfB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich and Fiorentina forward recalled the day he was asked by his father to come inside and watch football on TV, which lead to his love of PSG and Bolton Wanderers great Okocha.
“I didn't like watching football on TV. It was always so boring to me," Germany international Gomez wrote.
“Why sit in front of the screen, when you could go outside and play the game for real?
“'Papi, let's go outside!'" I'd say, tugging on his arm. 'Let's play!'
“One evening when I was about seven or eight, he had finally had enough. Instead of shooing me away, he sat me down right next to him.
“'I want you to see this, Mario. Just watch'."
“'Nooooo! It's boring'."
My father pointed at the television, “'Look! There! Right now!'"
When I looked up, there was an Eintracht Frankfurt player on the screen. He dribbled the ball around the other team's goalkeeper, then around a defender, and then around another defender — just toying with them — until he chipped it easily into the goal.
“'Woahhhhhh'," I said. “'What did he just do?'"
“'See?'" my father said. “'That's Jay-Jay Okocha. And there's no one else like him.'"
From that moment, I dreamed of playing like Jay-Jay. He was my idol.
“The way he moved the ball — he was like an artist. He did things with a ball I couldn't even imagine. And after seeing that dribble and that goal, I watched the highlights with my father every Sunday.
“I even started watching matches with him as well.
