Nigerian football legend Jay Jay Okocha has slammed former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher over his comments downplaying the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), saying no father would want their son to have a football career like Carragher’s.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Carragher sparked controversy after claiming that Mohamed Salah is at a disadvantage in the Ballon d’Or race because he cannot win a “major” international tournament such as the Euros, Copa America, or the World Cup.
“There are some players that will say something; you just overlook it. If you look at their careers, if you look at the type of football that they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Carragher,” Okocha said in an interview on Thursday.
The former Super Eagles playmaker dismissed Carragher’s stance, saying the ex-defender could never appreciate African football or the talent that comes from the continent.
John Obi Mikel, a key member of Nigeria’s AFCON-winning squad in 2013, also lashed out at Carragher’s remarks on his Obi One Podcast, calling them “disrespectful.”
“The Africa Cup of Nations is as big as the Euros. I’ve played in it and won it. It’s not in his f***ing place to discredit AFCON. He sits there week in, week out, teaching and coaching people on how to win the Premier League, and he never won it!” Mikel fumed.
In response to the backlash, Carragher took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his stance, insisting that his argument was not about disrespecting AFCON but rather the perceived weight of different international tournaments in the Ballon d’Or race.
“If Salah had an average season at Liverpool but won AFCON & was MVP, I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or,” Carragher wrote. “Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappé had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros, he would still have a great opportunity.”
He added that players like Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine) and Robert Lewandowski (Poland) were also disadvantaged in Ballon d’Or discussions due to their countries’ lower chances of winning the World Cup or Euros.
Despite his clarification, African football icons remain unimpressed, with many continuing to call for greater respect for AFCON and African football as a whole.
