Elahor’s Dream Five: Elastic Legend Picks Okocha and Yekini – Names Lookman His Style Twin

Former Super Eagles midfielder and left-sided wizard Friday Elahor has delivered a nostalgic masterclass by naming his ultimate Nigerian 5-a-side team — a glittering five that blends steel, steel, genius, flair and pure goal-scoring power.

The selection of Alloy Agu, Uche Okechukwu, Jay-Jay Okocha, himself and Rashidi Yekini instantly lights up any conversation about golden-era Super Eagles football and Nigerian football legends.

Born on 14 November 1967, Elahor carved out a career defined by silky left-footed dribbling that earned him the enduring nickname “Elastic.”

The moniker, popularised by legendary commentator Ernest Okonkwo, captured the way he stretched and contorted past defenders with slaloming runs and precise crosses from the left flank.

He began at Bendel Insurance in 1986, moved through ACB Lagos and Iwuanyanwu Nationale, then tested European waters with Brøndby IF in Denmark (1990–92), where he contributed to league success and European campaigns.

Later spells took him to Africa Sports in Ivory Coast, Nigerdock Lagos, and Indian clubs FC Kochin and Mohun Bagan.

On the international stage, Elahor earned 14 caps for Nigeria between 1989 and 1993, scoring once. He featured in the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations squad that reached the final in Algeria (losing 1-0 to the hosts) and helped secure third place at the 1992 AFCON in Senegal under coach Clemens Westerhof.

A knee injury sustained after the 1992 tournament ultimately cost him a place in the historic 1994 World Cup squad that announced Nigeria on the global stage — a setback he has spoken about with quiet acceptance while celebrating the team’s achievements.

That same competitive fire and eye for quality inform his dream 5-a-side.

In goal sits Alloy Agu, the reliable shot-stopper who guarded the Super Eagles net during the early 1990s golden period.

At the back is Uche Okechukwu, the commanding centre-back and long-time Fenerbahçe stalwart who formed the defensive bedrock of that era and shared a Brøndby dressing room with Elahor.

In midfield, the irrepressible Jay-Jay Okocha provides the creative heartbeat — the same Okocha whose vision and trickery defined Nigerian football for a generation. Elahor slots himself into the side as the elastic left-sided engine, linking defence to attack with those trademark dribbles and deliveries.

Up front, the late, great Rashidi Yekini — Nigeria’s all-time leading scorer and the lethal finisher who terrorised African defences — completes a lineup built for both control and clinical finishing.

The selection is pure nostalgia and pure class: a compact unit that balances defensive solidity, midfield magic and ruthless attacking threat.

It is the kind of five-a-side that would dominate any park pitch or indoor arena and instantly spark debates among Super Eagles fans about the greatest Nigerian football teams of the 1990s.

Beyond the dream team, Elahor has drawn a direct line to the present by identifying Ademola Lookman as the current Super Eagles player whose style most closely mirrors his own.

The comparison highlights Lookman’s low centre of gravity, close control, ability to beat markers in tight spaces and capacity to create or finish from wide or central areas — qualities that echo the Elastic’s left-footed artistry and flair.

In an era of high pressing and tactical rigidity, Lookman’s blend of technical brilliance and directness offers a modern echo of the entertainment Elahor provided three decades ago.

Elahor’s reflections arrive at a time when Nigerian football continues to debate its golden past against the present generation.

By naming a five packed with 1990s icons and linking his own style to Lookman, the former international reminds fans why that era still resonates.

The Elastic may no longer stretch defences on the pitch, but his ultimate 5-a-side and sharp eye for stylistic successors keep the conversation about Nigerian football greatness very much alive.