I think Okocha was better but their style of play is not really the same to me,

Those two are incomparable even when Okocha was 19 years old. Okocha is one of the best GIFTED player in the world. He did not learn how to play football like Mikel who graduated from an academy. Okocha was not tutored on how to pass, dribble and mesmerize football, he was gifted and born with it. So there is no comparison. Again, during the period when Okocha was 19 years, with his artistry of play, he has noone to look up to in term of handling of fame, he cant handle it. Were he to be in England or Europe, he would have been best than he is now. No comparison at all, Okocha at 19 is far better than Mikel. Mikel has so many lesson to learn from past good footballers, Okocha didnt at his time. Let me stir another controversy, like someone said earlier on that Mikel is the best passer of football, I refuse to agreed with that, Kanu is the best passer of the ball. and lastly, perhaps Okocha is the best footballer to ever come out of Nigeria?

Yes man, without a doubt. He's the best footballer Nigeria has ever produced.

Abeg make una help me tell am o

Okocha and Mikel? na wa o, the nose far from the head o

@ Twinstaiye.
I disagree with you. Every footballer has someone he loos up to. Okocha had the likes of Henry Nwosu and maybe Abedi Pele. Okocha at 19 is just an unserious player. He was not a team player and all he does was to showboat.
Mikel on the other hand links the play. He is not selfish and does not hold the ball unnecessarily. I dont think Okocha or even Kanu of today can pass the ball or deliver dead balls as much as Mikel. Mikel is gifted and he is the future of Nigerian football. Okocha's game changed after the '98 world cup. After 1998, he became more matured with less smiles after giving balls away. Have u forgotten Okocha wld have turned villain if Nigeria had lost to Brazil in atlanta 96? He was 23 then and his skills were mediocre.
Learn to appreciate. British eurosports and Skysports journalists cannot be wrong. Mikel is far better and by miles the most matured teenager Nigeria has ever produced. I will remind u in future when he gets crowned as Africa's best.

slimgene:

Mikel is far better and by miles the most matured teenager Nigeria has ever produced. I will remind u in future when he gets crowned as Africa's best.

You cant be more wrong here.

Go back to mauritius 93, go back to china 85 and canada 87 and scotland 89

Mikel obi is good but not the best teenage player we have produced, and moreover what is the big deal in being africas best.

Okocha, Kanu, and Ikpeba have all been africas best.

Im waiting on his crowning as africas best though.

As it is, Mikel is nowhere near Okocha in football skills and sense in there teenage years.

@Nice2Have

But this Mikel dont WASTE ball like Jay-Jay used to do in his early years.

I still dont see anything spectacular in Mikel style of play, He is good no doubt about it, but to compare him with Okocha at 19? it is way out of it.

@Everyone

I don't want to comment on this thread until today.
I think its high time we open can of worms.


OKOCHA
I know he once played for a 3rd division German club called Borussia Neunkirchen  before E. frankfurt.
He played for Nigeria's U-21 at Mauritius.
First Played for Super Eagles at 20 years against algeria.
Never won singular award as a tennager.

MIKEL
Probably involved in most popular football transfer in the world
Silver ball winner as the second best U-21 player in the world in 2005.
Played for Eagles at 19.
Bronze medal winner at African nations cup at 19
Scored African nations cup goal at 19.

What else can we say?

sometimes i wonder how you analyse your game is it the laurels now at teenage years or their prowess at that age, baring in mind that the media gives more and more publicity to budding players, especially from africa everyday.

You can as well say Essien is better than Abedi pele, but we know who is getting more recognition due to the almighty media these days

@Nice2Have

Dont forget we are still at war on that your picture o

I thought you want to fault my analysis above.

If Jay-Jay is that excellent at 19, why did Westerhof used to remove him anyhow?

In Mikel at the Nations cup, i saw a boy that is cool and calm despite all this English media wahala.

we all know westerhofs pitfalls, lets concentrate on the boyz. the same okocha westerhof wants to bench is the same one otto pfitzer (or what is that ghanian coach name) wants to play.

@Nice2Have

Jesus Christ! " E gba mi o"
Which planet are you from? What concern "Agbero" with "Overload" ?

Otto Phitzer!

Kola what is your problem? i dont remember the name so what? simply correct me, i mean the ghanian coach to mauritius 93 okay?

@Nice2Have

Ok, i get you now.
I beg Okocha is not as calm as this guy at 19.

@ Akolawole
U cannot be more right.
I dont see anything so special in the Okocha of those days(1993) He was so erratic and he was just a bundle of individual skills that does not affect the team positively. He was part of the reason why Nigeria got eliminated. He was too similar to Denilson of Brazil.

I saw Mikel Obi and he is way too calm for the type of football he plays. Had Nigeria won the last summer's youth tournament,he wld have been named the best player in that tournament. Messi pipped him at the last minute! British Eurosport commentators were too fanatical about this boy not because of the media-hype but the COMPOSURE he carries along with him. I still insist he is the best passer of the ball Nigeria has ever produced.

WORD!

i think the final word on this is that mikel is simlpy better overall than okocha was at 19.

Thank you.

i don't agree that Mikel is the best passer of the ball Nigeria has ever produced. Kanu is the greatest ever.

Mikel is more composed and focused (in his game) than jay jay was at 19. But he is not as skillful. he doesn't have that jay ability to displace defenders and turn a game on it's head.

Who need skillful players who forgets the aim of the team!

bah humbug

this is my 1st post and i find this topic interesting. read all the comments and i just wanna say:

i don't fancy okacha, proof:: sorry if okacha was good, why big clubs were not after him?

i like mikel as i followed him all thru youth championship. he was awesone.

i'm a man united fan and i would love to have mikel in man u line up. as for okacha, sorry dudes, don't see his value,

When i started this thread, i didn't know i'd get this much support. i thought okocha's big status would over-shadow logical thinking but i'm happy it has not. the question that the jay-jay boys can't answer is why did the big clubs not come after him?

If you are good, good clubs will find you out. Mikel started his career with a mature style of play that is why any good coach would want him but Okocha until lately was playing fun

Compusure is the hallmark of great players and mikel is showing an abundance of it at this age. This is no media hype. the boy is simply too good to ignore.

THERE IS A GRATE DIFFERENCE BTW A RAT AND A RABBIT NO MATTER THERE SIMILARITIES
MIKEL CAN'T STAND NEAR OKOCHA IN THIS GAME OF FOOTBALL,HE (MIKEL) IS STILL I KID IN THIS GAME

@ Deejay1
There u go again,
We r comparing Okocha of 1993 and Mikel Obi of 2006.
Mikel Obi's composure now is awesome. Lets forget about the media hype. This kid is too good its not true.
A boy who happens to be in the middle of the biggest transfer saga in the history of football and yet produces sublime skills and technique.
I wonder if Okocha wld have been able to handle the pressure when he was 19.
Okocha's head was too hot. He was very playful as a football player. Mikel Obi plays with so much composure, maturity and the intelligence of an adult.

Mikel like jose rightful pointed out is PURE GOLD! Okocha is a fantastic player but Mikel is fabulous d guy is outta dis world. Is mikel betta than okocha? Hell YES! Mikel is more positive movin wit d ball jay-jay sometimes plays 2 d gallary dat has always been his prob!

at 19 jay jay was able to make discession of what club to play for, but for mikel obi at 19 he can not decide where and what to do

to me okocha is better than john mikel because of jay jay style of play asper then

Okocha's game varies. Okocha of 2004 was something else. Would have been crowned African Footballer of the Year then. Mikel in less than 4 years I'm sure will be crowned African Footballer of the Year! I still feel Mikel's style of play is different from Okocha's.

I don't know who really is better!