Jay-Jay Okocha: I Gave Up Bolton Captaincy After They Tried To Sell Me

The former Nigeria skipper revealed in an interview in the latest issue of FourFourTwo Nigeria magazine, that he was shattered when he found out that Bolton were willing to sell him.

"I gave it [the captaincy] back because I was very disappointed that, after what I had done at the club, that they would have even thought of selling me," Okocha said.

"What happened was that, after my third season, they got this massive offer from Qatar and I was 33 at that time. And for them, to make that kind of money on a player who is already 33, was very good business.

"But then, I didn't want to want to leave my family and go to Qatar because it was too early."

"Sam (Allardyce) was like, 'I need to see the business side of it'...I said if that be the case, I need to protect my interest as well. I didn't care how much they wanted to pay me, I wanted to see off my contract."

The Nigeria midfielder, who has now retired, would later move to Qatar in his own time and as a free agent.

He also revealed that he did not enjoy himself in the oil-rich kingdom.

"Sometimes money is not everything," he admitted.

"After playing in England, going to a place where you have 40, 50 people at the stadium was no fun. I didn't enjoy it.

"I also did not like the mentality there. I felt like a prisoner. In Qatar, you need a sponsor to get a work permit and you cannot leave the country unless you have an exit permit from your sponsor. I didn't have my freedom."

Samm Audu, Goal.com