Legendary Chelsea and Nigeria international defensive midfielder Mikel John Obi announces retirement..

2022-09-28 11:15

Legendary Chelsea and Nigeria international defensive midfielder Mikel John Obi announces retirement..



Chelsea's legendary former Nigeria international midfielder Mikel John Obi (misnamed by media as John Obi Mikel in his early years) has announced his retirement via his official Instagram social media account on Tuesday.


Mikel wrote in an official statement that all things must come to an end at some point, and now the day has come to say goodbye to everyone as a professional football player. Mikel said he is very satisfied with what he has achieved in his 20-year career and how football has shaped him.


At the same time, he also thanked all his family members, coaches, teammates and fans who have helped him, inspired him, and supported him in his career, so that he can feel the warmth and encourages from everyone no matter when he is in highs or lows , so that he can continue to work hard to do better and never give up on his dreams.


Finally, he also told the fans that although his career is coming to an end, he will enter another chapter in his life and looks forward to meeting the fans again in a new way.


20 years of success began with transfer disputes



The 35-year-old Mikel was born on April 22, 1987 in Jos, the capital of Plateau, Nigeria. He is 1.88 meters tall and plays as a defensive midfielder. His brother Ebele Obi used to play as a goalkeeper in the local league club in Nigeria, and his cousin Joel Obi is a former Inter Milan left winger.


Mikel came from the youth academy of his hometown club Plateau United when he was young. Later, he represented the Nigeria U20s national team in the U20s World Cup in 2005, where he led his team to the final and became the second best player after Leo Messi, eventually winning the Silver Ball in the process.


Mikel transferred to Norwegian club Lyn Oslo after the U20s World Cup. After only 6 appearances, Mikel, who has just turned 18 years old at the time, signed an pre-contract agreement to join Manchester United for £4 million on April 29, 2005. Unexpectedly, just as Mikel's was only just officially announced that he was very happy to join the Red Devils and was awarded the No. 21 shirt, Chelsea suddenly came forward and pointed out that Mikel had already reached an agreement with them to join the club way beofore this, they had even claimed that Manchester United had violated the agreement, and thus two sides and Lyn Oslo began a fierce dispute swiftly.


After Mikel disappeared before a Norwegian Cup match, public opinion escalated as many speculated that the player had been kidnapped. It was not until FIFA intervened that Mikel was willing to return to Lyn Oslo in September 2005.


On June 2, 2006, the intricate stalemate ended when Chelsea offered to pay Lyn Oslo £4m and Manchester United £12m in transfer compensation.



Blues career officially set sail


In September of the same year, Mikel, wearing the No. 12 shirt, made his Chelsea first-team debut officially. During his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, Mikel played 372 times for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and providing 13 assists, winning 2 Premier League titles, 1 Champions League, 4 League Cups, 2 League Cups and 1 Europa League.


At that time, his performance was praised many times, and his partnership with fellow African players Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien was even seen as the continent's 4 fearsome combinations throughout European football for many years.



Landing in Chinese territory


During the January 2017 winter window, Mikel joined Tianjin Jinmen Tigers as a free agent.


During the 2 years while he moved to the Chinese Super League, Mikel played 31 times in all competitions for the Jinmen Tigers, scoring 3 goals and assisting 3 times.



Drifting across the world as a journeyman



However, after leaving the Jinmen Tigers in 2019, although Mikel returned to England to join Middlesbrough and Stoke City separately, he has never been utilised much by any club since then. Even when he switched to Trabzonspor later, he would end up being terminated from his contract.


In July 2021, Mikel joined Kuwait SC, but he rescinded his contract with Kuwait SC in November of the same year after not even given a chance to play in any game. Since then, he has been idle at home until and was unfortunately forced to retire.



The "Buffalo" in African international football


At the international level, Mikel has been a member of the Nigeria senior national team since 2006. As a defensive midfielder who works tirelessly on the field and has a strong tenacity, Mikel has always been nicknamed "Buffalo" by local fans and media in Africa. During his time with the Super Eagles, Mikel played 89 times for Nigeria in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and making 12 assists. He won 1 African Cup of Nations with the team, and was also nominated in the top-three as African Player of the Year in 2013.