Mikel Obi changes name ahead Rio Olympic showdown

Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi has decided to officially change his name to concur with popular belief.

Mikel Obi’s commonly used nickname was the result of a spelling mistake made by the Nigerian FA in 2003.

The Chelsea midfielder have been called John Obi Mikel since 2003.

Actually, he was born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna.

However, a mistake by the Nigerian Football Association ahead of the Under-17 World Cup in 2003 incorrectly labelled the player Mikel, as opposed to Michael.

The name has stuck ever since.

However, according to the London Evening Standard, the 29-year-old has now changed his full name to Mikel John Obi, putting the confusion behind him.

Mikel, who has continued to use the name on the back of his shirt and is said to have preferred the new name anyway.

He is currently preparing to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics and will be in action against Japan on Friday.

Since joining Chelsea in 2006, he has made 372 appearances for the Blues, but will miss the start of the 2016/17 campaign due to his commitments in Brazil.

Nigeria’s clash against Japan will take place in Manaus, before the Africa Cup of Nations ace take on Sweden and Colombia in Group B.

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