Nigerian football legends have fired back at former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher after his controversial comments downplaying the significance of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the Ballon d’Or race. The backlash came after Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, claimed that even if Mohamed Salah won AFCON, it wouldn’t significantly boost his chances of winning the prestigious award.
His remarks sparked immediate outrage across Africa, with Super Eagles icon Austin Jay Jay Okocha leading the charge. The former Bolton Wanderers magician didn’t hold back, taking a direct jab at Carragher’s playing career. “There are some players you just have to overlook when they speak. If you look at their career, the kind of football they played, then you’ll understand,” Okocha said. “I mean… you wouldn’t want your son to be like Jamie Carragher. So how can he appreciate African football or the talents that come from Africa?”
Carragher, facing mounting criticism, attempted to clarify his stance on X (formerly Twitter), insisting that “Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of winning the Ballon d’Or. If he had an average season at LFC but won AFCON and was [Player of the Tournament], I don’t think he’d win the Ballon d’Or because AFCON doesn’t carry the weight of other tournaments.”
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But his explanation did little to calm the storm. Nigerian football legends weren’t having it. Current Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa demanded “respect for AFCON,” calling it a competition as tough and prestigious as any other.
Former Chelsea midfielder and 2013 AFCON winner John Mikel Obi also unleashed a furious response during an episode of the Obi One Podcast. “I don’t care what he says, I’ve played in it, I’ve won it. It’s not his fking place to discredit the African Cup of Nations. I am angry,” Mikel ranted. “He played for Liverpool for so many years and never won the Premier League, yet he sits there week after week telling people how to win it. Africans tune in to watch. They don’t even have money to eat sometimes, but they watch the Premier League. They watch you every weekend, and you sit there discrediting a whole continent. He can fk off.”
Carragher has yet to respond to the growing backlash, but the debate over AFCON’s global recognition continues to rage. With African football stars refusing to stay silent, this controversy is far from over.
