The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has revealed a remarkable statistic, confirming that Super Eagles legend Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha holds the record for the most successful dribbles in a single FIFA World Cup match.
According to FIFA, Okocha completed 15 successful dribbles against Italy during Nigeria’s Round of 16 clash at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
The Nigerian maestro achieved the feat against one of the strongest defensive teams of that era, gliding past renowned Italian stars such as Paolo Maldini, Demetrio Albertini, and Alessandro Costacurta with ease.
FIFA stated that Okocha tops the all-time list for most successful dribbles in a single World Cup game, ahead of Brazil’s Jairzinho, who recorded 13 against Uruguay in 1970, and England’s Paul Gascoigne, who also managed 13 against Cameroon at Italia ’90.
Other players on the list include Portugal’s Eusebio (12 against Hungary in 1966), West Germany’s Reinhard Libuda (12 against Bulgaria in 1970), the Netherlands’ Johan Cruyff (12 against Sweden in 1974), Italy’s Sandro Mazzola (12 against Poland in 1974), Argentina’s Diego Maradona (12 against England in 1986), and Germany’s Jamal Musiala (12 against Costa Rica in 2022).
FIFA also revealed that Argentina captain Lionel Messi has completed the most take-ons in FIFA World Cup history, with a total of 125 successful dribbles across his tournament appearances.
Meanwhile, the late Diego Maradona still holds the record for the most successful dribbles in a single World Cup edition, after registering 53 at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.
