The 30-year old has been in magnificent form for both club and country since his arrival from Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2002 and readers of the BBC African website voted for the Super Eagles player ahead of Real Mallorca's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o and Ghanian Stephen Appiah of Juventus.
"I've been expecting something like this for a very long time," a delighted Okocha told BBC Sport.
"I'd got to the stage where I thought that I'd never win an award in my career, so I'm very happy to be recognised in this way."