Former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay-jay Okocha believes the biggest difference between Nigerian and South African footballers playing in Europe comes down to ambition and the willingness to step outside comfort zones.
Nigeria has produced stars like Victor Osimhen at Galatasaray and Ademola Lookman at Atletico Madrid, with players performing across Europe’s top five leagues. South African players remain less visible at that level.
“First of all, you must have the desire to become the best version of yourself,” Okocha told Radio 2000’s Game On programme. “For you to make a name for yourself globally, you must get out of your comfort zone, and this is the problem.”
The former PSG playmaker, who played across Germany, Turkey, France, and England during his career, explained that South African players often choose to stay in their domestic environment.
“It is my opinion that South African players are too comfortable at home,” Okocha said. “That drive is not really there. But we Nigerians, we’re very ambitious people. We like to challenge ourselves.”
Okocha emphasized the importance of cultural adaptation when moving to Europe.
“When you come to a country like Germany, you have to try to socialize and understand the culture of the people,” he explained. “You have to be willing to learn the language and just learn in general.”
The Nigerian legend advised young players to be open and show hunger to improve. “If you show that you’re willing to learn, then your stay will be a lot easier. My advice is just to be open and make sure you have that hunger and desire to become the best version of yourself.”
While praising Nigerian ambition abroad, Okocha acknowledged South Africa’s success in developing their domestic league. South Africa qualified for the 2026 World Cup by finishing ahead of Nigeria in qualifying, relying heavily on players from the Premier Soccer League.
“It’s happy days for South African football, and it’s well deserved because they worked for it,” Okocha said. “They invested in the local league, and they are reaping the rewards of it because most of these players are playing in the local league.”
He praised the PSL’s strength while maintaining that more South African players should test themselves in Europe. “That’s the impressive part of it because it shows how strong the South African league is, even though I think that you need to have more players playing in Europe.”
Nigeria finished third at the 2025 AFCON with zero domestic-based players in the squad, while South Africa’s World Cup qualification highlighted their different approach to player development. Nigeria last appeared at the World Cup in 2018.
