Former Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has offered his take on football’s greatest dribblers, placing late Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona at the top of his list ahead of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking in an interview with pundit Kelechi ahead of Nigeria’s opening match against Tanzania at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, Okocha, widely celebrated for his creativity and flair, was asked to conduct a blind ranking of ten elite dribblers. 

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers midfielder, popularly known as the Chief Flair Officer, described Maradona as the ultimate “street footballer” who made it professionally, a term used to define players with raw skill, natural instinct, and the ability to glide past opponents effortlessly.

In his ranking, Okocha placed Maradona first, followed closely by Messi in second and French icon Zinedine Zidane in third place. 

Brazilian superstar Neymar was ranked fourth, while Okocha rated himself in fifth position. Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt came sixth, with Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his legendary career, placed seventh. 

Meanwhile, Barcelona great Ronaldinho ranked eighth, while Hatem Ben Arfa and Ricardo Quaresma completed the list in ninth and tenth respectively.

Adeyemi Adewale