Austin Jay Jay Okocha explores why Nigeria produces more strikers than defenders

Players like Taiwo Awoniyi, Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Gift Orban and a host of other players are doing excellently well in Europe 

Nigerian football legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha shared his perspective on why Nigeria tends to have more talented strikers than defenders and goalkeepers, Soccernet.ng reports.

In the current era, Nigerian strikers shine prominently on the global stage compared to defenders, midfielders, and goalkeepers.

Players like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi, Gift Orban, Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi, and Akor Adams have been excelling in various European leagues.

The dominance of Nigerian strikers has raised questions about their prevalence and success compared to other positions in football.

During a Bundesliga media round table, Okocha expressed his opinion on Nigeria’s proficiency in producing successful strikers, attributing it to cultural inclinations.

“I will say football is part of our culture in Nigeria. And every kid in Nigeria wants to be a goalscorer. [They] want to be noticed. They realized that maybe the offensive midfielders, players and strikers are the ones that get noticed more than defenders. And maybe because of nature. Also, the way we are built has made us [Nigeria] produce a lot of strikers“ he commented.

Furthermore, Okocha highlighted the contrast by citing Senegal, a country that seemingly produces more defenders than strikers, indicating a possible influence of genetic factors.

“If you look at a country like Senegal, I think they have produced more defenders than strikers. So it might have something to do with our genes. But also, the fans might also have a hand in it, because we don’t forgive defenders if they score an own goal but we can forgive strikers.” he added.

Looking ahead, the Super Eagles of Nigeria are gearing up for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The expectation is for this generation of talents, particularly the strikers, to provide fans with reasons to celebrate during the tournament.