Jay-Jay Okocha is one of the most iconic players in Premier League history, renowned for the incredible skills that he showcased during his time with Bolton Wanderers.
But the Nigerian came from humble beginnings in the city of Enugu, in the south of the country, as he explains in a new video for the No Room For Racism initiative, celebrating the diversity of the Premier League through the theme of "Greatness comes from everywhere".
"I would say that my greatness came from my childhood," says Okocha. "Knowing that I had nothing, knowing that failing is not in question.
"[Yes, I had] humble beginnings. My father worked on the railways. It was just your normal average African families, just trying to survive.
"A football was the only toy that we had as a child. [We played] without shoes. I think I had my first football shoe at the age of 12 and it was so uncomfortable. I had to get used to it because I was used to playing barefooted.
"It was just being out there, playing the game that we love, without thinking that one day it might be my career.
"We had one big team in Enugu that was playing in the first division, Enugu Rangers.
"Most of us were dreaming to play for this club because we didn't have a lot of Nigerians playing abroad. We were not in touch with the Premier League, for example. Our dream was just limited to playing for that one big team."
'The desire to survive'
Okocha quickly achieved that dream of playing for Enugu and then got the chance to aim even higher when he was offered the opportunity to play in Germany, first with Borussia Neunkirchen and then with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992.
"My strength was the desire that I had to survive," he says. "The desire that I had to succeed, having to leave my family, having to go to a country where you don’t understand the language, you don’t understand the culture.
"I had to learn the hard way because there was nobody to advise me, nobody to talk to. I had to figure everything out by myself.
"That was really the opportunity that we all were looking for, hoping for. I knew that I had it and I [would] have to make the best out of it.
"I think it gave me something that was special, in a way that I am free whenever I’m on the pitch. That's where I can express myself. That was what my upbringing gave me."
Okocha moved on to Fenerbahce and then Paris Saint-Germain, while he played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, facing England during the tournament.
He joined Bolton Wanderers that same summer and spent four seasons in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists to go with his magical tricks and flicks across 124 top-flight matches.
"It means everything to me, to make sure that I leave the door open for the next generation, because as an African playing in Europe, you have to realise that you're not just playing for yourself," said Okocha.
"You're not just playing for your community. You're playing for a whole continent, you are trying to leave a good impression so that the next child will be given the opportunity.
"If I look back now, for me, it's more like a job well done, because I left my mark."
