Africa's Greatest Ever Player Retires

We've had this debate many times before: Who is Africa's Greatest Ever Player?

I haven't a clue, although I could list the usual suspects.

One of the men who would make most everyone's Top 10 list has just called it quits: Jay-Jay Okocha.

On Thursday, more than 20,000 fans came to pay their respects to one of the greatest African footballers of all time at his testimonial game.

Okocha, who twice won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award, is retiring after 18 years in football.

Despite torrential rainfall a big crowd witnessed a star-studded game that saw a Super Eagles XI beat a World XI 2-1.

Stars including Nigerian star Kanu, Joseph Yobo, El-Hadji Diouf and Benjani Mwaruwari all played in the game at the Warri Township stadium in Delta State, Nigeria.

The 34-year-old Okocha played for both sides during the match and scored for the Super Eagles XI, which also included Taribo West and John Utaka.

"It's a day of joy considering the achievements and adoration in my football career but also one of sadness as I am leaving a game that brought me fame and fortune," an emotional Okocha said after the match.

"I thank the clubs and fans where I have played as well as team-mates and of course the Nigerian public for their love and support throughout my career."

Current Nigeria coach, Shaibu Amodu, who coached Okocha at the 2002 Cup of Nations in Mali, was full of praise for the talented midfielder.

"Okocha is a model professional on the pitch, on the training field and off the pitch," Amodu said.

"The national team have missed him as he has such a huge influence in big games. The fact that the stadium is packed is a total reflection of how much he is loved in the country."

Former South Africa and Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe revealed that he had to leave his sick wife behind in South Africa to honor Okocha.

"I pleaded seriously with my wife to let me be here. Okocha was a recognised maestro in African football and the continent will surely miss him," he said.

After footing the bills for the testimonial, the Delta State government in south-western Nigeria have also renamed the Ogwashi-Ukwu stadium the Jay-Jay Okocha Stadium.

A fitting end for a classy player ... I doubt I'll get a testimonial at my current job when I'm handed a pink slip.

Adebayor's Triumphant Journey

Now that the Euro 2008 championships are behind us (thank you Spain!!!), it's time to look forward to the wacky season, otherwise known as the summer transfer period.

Players will be moving left, right and center with big names rumored to be going to new clubs and bigger names actually making the moves.

One of these names is Arsenal striker and Togo superstar Emmanuel Adebayor.

The 24-year-old is now a household name in the football world, his meteoric rise aided by a string of scintillating displays for English Premier League side Arsenal.

Now Barcelona want him and if the news is to be believed, he's on his way to Spain.

Today, we present an article posted on the BBC last week about Adebayor's stunning rise to the Premier League and his triumphant return to Togo last month.

It's an interesting look at the modern footballer but also a glimpse into Adebayor's soul. As article writer Farayi Mungazi puts it, 'for a man with little education, he projects himself with consummate ease and is unfailingly polite. He reminded the cynic in me that not all professional footballers are arrogant millionaires with egos that match the size of their pay packets.'

Please read the article here and take a look at this snippet here ...

I think a lot of people know me just on the pitch," Adebayor says.

"They don't know where I come from and they don't know how I began."

"I put in a lot of hard work to be where I am today, but I'll never forget what it was like when I was young.

"Life was very difficult, and I told myself that I only had one chance to survive and that was to be a footballer."

Adebayor did not enjoy school, skipping classes to play football - though now, on his "tour of hope", he encourages children to stick to their studies.

He sees it as his chance to give something back to Africa's youth.

When he left Togo for France to embark on a professional career in 1999, not many would have foreseen that a football superstar had been unleashed.

"When I was going to Europe, I remember what my mother told me at the airport; she said: 'Manu, you see where we're living, you must go to France and do something good because we need your help.'"

He has now built her a huge, double-storey mansion in Lome, which is surrounded by shacks and run-down buildings.