Samuel Eto’o made headlines on Monday evening when, in an interview, he stated the opinion that former Nigeria international Jay-Jay Okocha did not get his due during his playing career.
Further to the point, the Cameroon FA president put this down to bias against Africans, making a comparison between Okocha and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner Ronaldinho and calling the disparity in the perception of the two an “injustice”.
Now, the mere allusion to a racial element instantly makes any discussion a touchy one, and is bound to elicit a great deal of emotion from respondents. However, it is worth examining this line of reasoning, as well as the claims Eto’o made, on their own merits.
“What we saw Ronaldinho do a few years ago, Jay-Jay had done 10 or 15 years before…”
Now, we have no way of knowing precisely what Eto’o meant by “do” in the above statement. However, there are a couple of senses in which it could have been meant. Let us explore two.
If what is intended is simply actions performed on the football pitch, then there is some merit to that. Ronaldinho has himself admitted that, as far as skill and flair goes, he has a ton of respect for the devilry Okocha was able to pull off. The former Nigeria captain had an uncanny mastery of the football, especially in manipulating it, that would not be repeated until Ronaldinho appeared on the scene.
However, if Eto’o meant to refer to the level at which they played, it becomes a more problematic claim.
There is a sizable gap between what Okocha was capable of and demonstrated, and the level (and consistency with) which he was able to execute it. Also, for all his strengths, he never had it in him to carry a team to title success in the manner Ronaldinho did. To put it simplistically, for managers the Brazilian provided solutions, while Okocha often created problems.
This leads us nicely to the other half of the statement…
“...he never had the recognition that others got. That’s what happens when it comes to Africa”
On this front, there is little room for ambiguity, and so there is consequently little hesitation in saying Eto’o is completely off-base.
Let us leave out the nebulous “others” and focus solely on the one player he has used as a comparison.
On what basis does Eto’o believe Okocha should have gotten as much recognition as Ronaldinho – a player who kickstarted the rebirth of Barcelona as a dominant European force, while also winning a World Cup and back-to-back La Liga titles? A highlight reel of dribbles?
Well, even on that front, he is not superior to the Brazilian.
Only one of these two players was able to marry his outrageous skill with efficiency where and when it truly mattered, and it was not Okocha.
For all that the Nigeria legend was a genius at making opponents look silly, he did not decide many matches. Football is still a team sport, after all, and there is still a scoreboard to account for. It is on the basis of Ronaldinho’s ability to make his gifts relevant and decisive to the aim of the collective that he amassed not just trophies and individual honours, but also the acclaim Eto’o seems to believe should be due to Okocha.
As for his allegation of anti-Africanness in this respect, there is even less to say. There is a lengthy list of African footballers who have greater recognition than their output necessarily warrants. Eto’o himself is rightly held in stratospheric esteem for his playing career, and arguably would enjoy even greater goodwill than he currently does if his ego did not occasionally make him a tough sell.
This reads simply like playing to the gallery, seeking a cheap pop from the crowd while posturing as some great defender of the pan-African ideal.