Why I got Turkish citizenship, adopted Muhammed as name – Jay Jay Okocha

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.”

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