Close to a decade after hanging his boots, former Super Eagles Captain Jay Jay Okocha is still a major reference point in terms of contribution to the game with his free transfer from PSG to Bolton dubbed the second best free transfer after that of Sol Campbell from Tottenham to Arsenal.
In top 10 best free transfers dished out by the Mail, Monday, the former Eintracht Frankfurt ace was engaged by Sam Allardyce for free at a time when he was Africa’s most expensive player
In 1998, French side Paris Saint-Germain spent around £14 million to sign Okocha, making him the most expensive African player at the time. During his four-year stint with PSG, he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals.
The report recalls that there was amazement in the soccer world when the midfield maestro joined Bolton for free and became a legend at Bolton alongside fellow free transfers Ivan Campo, Fernando Hierro and Youri Djokaeff, and helped the club to three top-half finishes in a row. He is best remembered for a handful of stunning strikes and sensational tricks, which made him a favourite among all fans.
Other players who made the lists include current Manchester United Sensation, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who moved on free transfer interestingly from PSG.
A giant of European football, with titles in Holland, Italy, Spain and France, Ibrahimovic arrived with all his showmanship, but with plenty of doubters. Now 35 years old, he had been impressive in Ligue 1, but there were questions over whether that would prepare him for Premier League football.
Four goals in his first three games was enough response and and 24 in 36 so far became a mission statement. On the players in the list include Ruud Gullit (Sampdoria to Chelsea), Gary McAllister (Coventry to Liverpool),Gianluca Vialli (Juventus to Chelsea), Michael Ballack (Bayern to Chelsea), Demba Ba (West Ham to Newcastle),Kevin Davies (Southampton to Bolton) and Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough to Fulham.
