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UPDATED: Mikel Obi retires from football
Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has formally retired from professional football.
Mikel announced his retirement on Tuesday via his Instagram page. He posted:
“There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today.
“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.”
See post below:
About John Mikel Obi
John Mikel Obi, born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna, 22 April 1987, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004.
In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him.
He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years, before moving to China with Tianjin TEDA in 2017.
After two years in China, he returned to England on a short-term deal with Middlesbrough, before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2019.
Mikel moved back to England in August 2020 joining Stoke City.
In a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, he played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.
Mikel was born in Jos, Plateau State, the son of Michael Obi, who runs an inter-state transport company in Jos.
Early career
Mikel started his football career at the age of 12 when picked as a talented footballer from over 3,000 young talents to play in Pepsi Football Academy, a team that at the time was well known for travelling across Nigeria scouting young footballers with the potential to play professionally.
Obi stood out to scouts and was later picked to play for top-flight club Plateau United, a side that had previously developed stars like Celestine Babayaro, Victor Obinna and Chris Obodo, among others, that went on to success in European leagues.
Later known as John Obi Mikel, he made headlines for his country at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships held in Finland.
Following the tournament, he went on to a trial at South Africa club Ajax Cape Town, ultimately joining Oslo-based club Lyn Fotball in Norway.
Transfer to England
On 29 April 2005, a few days after Mikel turned 18, Premier League club Manchester United announced that they had struck a deal with Lyn to sign the player.
United’s website also claimed that they had done a deal directly with the teenager and that he had signed a contract to join them.
Mikel’s agents were bypassed as the club persuaded the youngster to sign a four-year contract without representation. Read more.
More details on Wikipedia.
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