Lorient striker Terem Moffi has reveled his admiration for ex-Paris Saint-Germain and Super Eagles star Austin Jay Jay Okocha, claiming he studied footage of the mercurial midfielder in order to improve his game.
Moffi has been in a blistering form for his French club this season, and earlier this year, he grabbed a late match-winning goal that helped Lorient edge PSG in a thrilling five-goal Ligue 1 game at the Stade du Moustoir.
He said: “I met him, and he told me ‘football is easy, you don’t have to do too much. Just be you, enjoy yourself! He was a fantastic dribbler, when I was younger I used to watch his videos like step-overs and crossovers, it was really a big part of my game but now I’m kind of direct except when I’m in a tight situation I try to dazzle my way through!”
The 21-year-old, whose remarkable first season with his French club earned him a call up to the national for the double-header AFCON qualifiers next week, insisted he did not set a personal target for himself this term despite being the club’s top scorer with six goals.
“We played together in the U17s, I’ve known him for a couple of years,” the Nigerian star told the Ligue 1 website. “He’s a good guy, he’s been good to me on so many occasions so it’s like ‘this guy, you have to follow his progress, you have to learn from him’.
“If he can do it in Belgium, why can’t I do it in Belgium, he did it in France, why can’t you do it in France as well you understand? So it’s motivation for me, yes!”
“As a matter of fact I didn’t set targets for this season,” Moffi concluded. “I was like ‘go, give your best’ but now I think I have surpassed what I was expecting so I just want to continue this way and whatever God says happens, happens. No pressure, just do!”
