Mikel Obi Relives the Experience of His Chelsea Unveiling in 2006

Mikel Obi Relives the Experience of His Chelsea Unveiling in 2006

  • John Obi Mikel played for Chelsea for 11 years and won every trophy possible at the club
  • The Blues fought a long battle against Manchester United to win the race for his signing
  • The former Super Eagles captain has shared the experience of his unveiling at Cobham

John Obi Mikel has relived the experiences of the day he was unveiled as a Chelsea player at Cobham after visiting the training facilities of his former club recently.

Mikel had a successful career at Chelsea, spending 11 years at the Premier League club and winning every trophy possible, including the 2012 UEFA Champions League.

Mikel Obi at a Chelsea press conference in 2006.
Mikel Obi addressing a Chelsea press conference in 2006. Photo by Ben Radford.
Source: Getty Images

The Blues fought a long battle against Manchester United to win the race to sign the highly-rated teenager after he starred at the 2005 FIFA I20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

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Mikel relives first day at Chelsea

The former Nigerian international, who left the club in 2017, returned to shoot an episode of his Obi One Podcast and shared the feelings of the day he was unveiled at the club.

“I stayed with that number,” he said of his number 12 jersey. “The memories of that day, it was a massive relief. It [transfer saga] was going on for about a year, I couldn't play for any club, Manchester United or Chelsea, because of the whole saga.
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“After it was settled, it was a massive relief for me to join the club that I really wanted to play for, which was Chelsea. I just couldn't wait to be unveiled as a Chelsea player, my memory there was absolutely fantastic, I will never trade it for anything.”

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As noted by Transfermarkt, he played under nine managers, excluding interim bosses, before he left the club in 2017 after a spat with new manager Antonio Conte over his involvement with the national team.

Mikel wants ex-Chelsea manager for England job

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that John Obi Mikel has named his pick for the next England manager, a former Chelsea head coach who has been linked to the job.

The search for a new manager for the Three Lions is ongoing, and several names, including local and foreign coaches, have been linked to the position, with the team looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mikel Obi has urged the FA to sign ex-Chelsea coach Graham Potter ahead of other candidates as he believes he is the right man to succeed Gareth Southgate.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Richard Nutakor avatar

Richard Nutakor (Sports Editor) Richard Kekeli is a digital media enthusiast with over 8 years of working experience in media and digital. He's worked with notable media brands in Ghana like Media General, owners of TV3 Ghana, 3FM, Onua FM & Connect FM. He's also worked with Global Media Alliance as a Digital Account Manager. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Ghana in 2016 and a Masters in Brands and Communication Management from the University of Professional Studies, Accra. Email: richard.kekeli@sportsbrief.com