Mikel Obi, a former captain of the Super Eagles, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday.
Mikel Obi has resigned from playing football after having a fantastic career in which he represented his country and won every major club-level prize available.
Mikel announced his intention to put up his boots on Instagram with a picture of his 20-year career’s most memorable moments and a lengthy explanation.
The illustrious midfielder wrote,
“There is a saying that ‘all good things must come to an end,’ and for my professional football career, that day is today (Tuesday).
“I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape.
“All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, teammates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans.
“You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.
“I will also like to encourage everyone who I may have inspired one way or the other in the course of my career to never give up on their dreams, for every time you think about quitting, remind yourself why you started.
“This is not goodbye, it’s the start of another journey, another chapter of my life. I look forward to what the future holds and I hope you will walk with me. Thank you.”
The 35-year-old was most renowned for his achievements at Chelsea, where he amassed nine titles over the course of his 11-year tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Additionally, Mikel has great success at the international level, gaining 89 caps for Nigeria, scoring six goals, and taking home the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title in South Africa.
The headway
At the Jos Metropolis Township Primary School, where he was discovered, Mikel’s career began on a sand-filled football field. He was chosen from a group of more than 3,000 young boys to play for the elite Pepsi Football Academy, where he distinguished himself and was chosen to play for Nigerian Professional Football League team, Plateau United.
In Nigeria’s opening 1-1 draw against Costa Rica at the U-17 World Cup in Finland in August 2003, Mikel took the field for the first time as a youth international player for Nigeria.
However, Mikel really stood out when he helped the Golden Eaglets come back to defeat Australia 2-1 in their second game of the tournament.
Unfortunately, they were defeated by Argentina in the last group match by a solitary goal, and due to a coin toss, they were unable to advance to the next round. Manchester United made an attempt to sign the talented player at that time on a scholarship agreement, but they were rejected.
Alongside Lionel Messi, Mikel was the U-20 World Cup’s breakout star in 2005. He played a key role in Nigeria’s run to the championship with a comprehensive midfield performance against teams like Holland, Morocco, Brazil, and Argentina.
Messi won the Golden Ball, but Mikel won the Silver Ball on a rather lackluster night at the Galgenwaard Stadium. Argentina needed two penalties from Messi in regulation to defeat Nigeria and win the championship.
Mikel’s highs and lows
Despite his modest success at the senior level, many pundits believe Mikel didn’t quite live up to the promise he showed at youth football level. Messi, his teammate at U-20, would go on to dominate football, winning six Balon d’Or awards.
Following a transfer saga between English powerhouses Chelsea and Manchester United, Mikel unexpectedly found himself out of play at the club level for nearly to a year following a strong performance in the 2005 U-20 World Cup.
United claimed that they had made a direct deal with the adolescent and that he had signed a contract to join them when they declared that they had reached an agreement with Lyn Oslo, Mikel’s club at the time, to sign the player. Rivals Chelsea later countered that they had had a deal with Mikel and his representatives, but Lyn refuted this assertion.
In a supposedly hurriedly scheduled press appearance, where he was shown holding up a Manchester United shirt sporting the squad number 21, Mikel declared his happiness at joining United. There have been allegations from Norway that he received several threatening phone calls after signing the contract to join United. Mikel was consequently given a security guard and relocated to a secure hotel.
The young player would eventually sign with Chelsea in 2006 as opposed to Manchester United, a move that ended up costing the Blues £16 million more than they should have, as the Nigerian player had originally agreed to sign with United before the agreement was hijacked.
When he joined Stamford Bridge, Michael Ballack had just left Bayern Munich on a free transfer, and Frank Lampard was at the top of his game. The young player’s lack of experience and talent made it clear that he had no place, at least not in his favored position of attacking midfield.
However, Chelsea wasn’t going to let a player they worked so hard to recruit sit on the bench, so as Claude Makelele came on, manager Jose Mourinho turned Mikel into a defensive midfielder, a decision that at first backfired.
The Nigerian was frequently in and out of the team in the beginning of his Blues career due to a string of infractions and bans.
Following a challenge on United left-back Patrice Evra during Chelsea’s 2-0 loss at Old Trafford in 2007, Mikel was given a straight red card by referee Mike Dean. In the League Cup final against Arsenal, he was also dismissed for fighting Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor.
In addition, he won the 2007 League Cup, 2012 Champions League, and 2013 Europa League. He also won two Premier League championships and four FA Cup medals.
Prior to his free transfer to Chinese club Tianjon TEDA in 2017, Mikel spent 11 years and numerous trophies at Chelsea. Before signing Turkish champions Trabzonspor in 2019, he briefly returned to England to play for Middlesbrough in the Championship.
But after a dispute with Trabzonspor management over his claim that he did not feel comfortable with playing in top-flight matches in the nation in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Mikel left England once more and joined Stoke City (2020–2021). In 2021, he last competed for Kuwait SC.
Super Eagles
Mikel had amassed every club-level victory possible by the end of the 2012–13 European campaign. He won the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the UEFA Champions League before taking home the prized trophy in Munich, becoming him just the third Nigerian footballer to do so. The love and affection of his country, though, was still absent.
Mikel, at 18 years old, impressed with his passing abilities, positioning, ball handling, and delivery as Nigeria finished third at the 2006 AFCON in Egypt. It was obvious that Austin Okocha’s replacement was ready to take the place of the aging master dribbler and midfield wizard. At the 2010 and 2019 AFCONs, he would also assist the squad in finishing in third place, but it wasn’t until 2013 that he took home the continent’s top honor after an improbable victory.
For the first time possibly in his national team career, Mikel managed the Eagles midfield with his passing vision and duty in front of the defense against a side commanded by the late Stephen Keshi that was primarily inexperienced.
He was so outstanding that year that he was nominated for the African Player of the Year award, but Yaya Toure, an Ivorian midfielder, won the prize instead—and rightfully so, given the fantastic performances he put on for Manchester City during the reviewed year.
Mikel disregarded the Blues and management to represent Nigeria in the Olympics in 2016, which infuriated Antonio Conte, who had just been hired as Chelsea’s head coach.
The cash-strapped U-23 side had the most contentious preparations of any Olympic-bound team, and Mikel released nearly £30,000 of his own money for logistics, including feeding and transportation.
Mikel disregarded the Blues and management to represent Nigeria in the Olympics in 2016, which infuriated Antonio Conte, who had just been hired as Chelsea’s head coach.
The cash-strapped U-23 side had the most contentious preparations of any Olympic-bound team, and Mikel released nearly £30,000 of his own money for logistics, including feeding and transportation.
Who will ever forget the humiliation of the team arriving mere hours before its first match against Japan, on the way to taking home a bronze medal?
Mikel spoke to BBC on his choice to represent Nigeria in the Olympics as opposed to competing for a spot in Conte’s Chelsea team.
“I have no regrets, not one single regret about going to the Olympics. And I will not trade my Olympics medal for anything. I deserve it, it’s what I deserve, I worked hard for it, so why would I trade it for something else – a place in the Chelsea squad – no, that is impossible.”
It was a decision that brought him a lot of admiration. The selection of the Super Eagles’ captain, a player who had earned the respect of his teammates in the locker room, was clear when Gernot Rohr was appointed coach of the team in 2016. Incontestable evidence of his leadership abilities and mental toughness came from his admission, made after the Eagles’ World Cup loss to Argentina in their final group game, that he had played the game although severely emotionally drained, knowing his father had been abducted for ransom.
Mikel had resoundingly won over the affections of a nation by his patriotism, selflessness, and commitment from someone who had long caused controversy.
Along with Yaya Toure, Nwankwo Kanu, and Samuel Eto’o, he likewise earned his place as one of Africa’s most decorated footballers.
Nigerian fans will remember Mikel’s career as being both magnificent and spotless.
Salutations to a retiring Eagle
Following the midfielder’s illustrious 20-year career, former coaches, colleagues, and current Eagles players have all paid tribute to him on social media.
The former Chelsea player’s U-17 coach and technical director of the Nigerian Football Federation, Austin Eguavoen, hailed the 35-year-old after his retirement.
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