Mikel Obi's Career so far

Mikel Obi's Career so far

PROFILE
Nationality:Nigerian
D.O.B:22/04/1987
Height:188
Weight:83.0
Previous Clubs:Chelsea, Lyn Oslo
Position:Midfielder
HISTORY
Chelsea career
Following quickly on from the purchase of Salomon
Kalou in the summer of 2006, the arrival of John Mikel
Obi confirmed Chelsea's determination to add exciting
young talent as well as established stars to a squad
that had just won back-to-back league titles.
Having smoothed out some rough edges both on and
off the pitch, manager Jose Mourinho increasingly
used Mikel's talent in the holding midfield role,
especially when requiring a longer range of passing
than other options including the feted Claude
Makelele. As a junior Mikel had played more as an
attacking midfielder.
Named Chelsea Young Player of the Year, he survived
an injury scare the week before the 2007 FA Cup Final
to play the whole game. Chelsea beat Manchester
United in the first final at the new Wembley.
The 2007/08 campaign saw Mikel continue to grow in
the 'Makelele' role, and by the end of it he had played
more games than the old master of the position.
There were hitches. An unfortunate sending off at Old
Trafford in Avram Grant's first game was followed by
another red card in a Carling Cup semi-final against
Everton, his fourth since joining Chelsea.
He started the 2008 Carling Cup final defeat by Spurs
shortly after his return from the Africa Cup of Nations
but then spent a spell out of the side before ending
his second season with responsibility in some
important games, including a home win over
Manchester United when he was outstanding,
although he remained on the bench for the Champions
League Final against the same opposition.
Top displays became more commonplace in the
2008/09 season when, with Michael Essien injured for
much of the campaign, Mikel became the permanent
anchor man - his calm touch a major contribution to
the 2009 FA Cup win over Everton.
One item that has remained lacking from the
midfielder's game is goals, much like his former
mentor Makelele.
Two in his first season, both FA Cup goals in the
January of 2007 against lower league opposition, were
not added to until September 2013, though as he
says, there are plenty of others in the midfield who
can contribute goals, allowing him to concentrate on
stopping them.
Further injury to Essien in 2009/10 ensured that for
the second season running Mikel was the primary
choice as deep-lying midfielder. On his return from
the Africa Cup of Nations in February he started every
game until his own knee and ankle problems in mid-
April ruled him out of the season's two-trophy climax,
and the first African World Cup Finals. He did however
have his first league championship winners' medal.
Mikel's own on-pitch discipline problems are long
behind him. He was only booked four times in a
Double-winning campaign spent in a highly-
competitive area of the pitch.
Carlo Ancelotti revealed he was a similar player in a
similar position in his youth but was able to use
Essien more in 2010/11 and Mikel spent a period out
the side, due to injury and when a 4-4-2 formation
was adopted for a period.
Mikel did however pass the 200-game milestone for
Chelsea during the season and started all but 10
league games.
The Nigerian began the 2011/12 campaign in Andre
Villas-Boas's new-look midfield, starting four of the
opening five games, and remained a regular before a
thigh injury - sustained against Tottenham
Hotspur shortly before Christmas - meant he didn't
feature for the Blues for almost two months.
In the second half of the season, however, he re-
emerged as a regular in midfield, starting six of our
nine games in a busy March and impressing under
Roberto Di Matteo with a more attacking outlook,
playing more forward passes and dominating from his
deep position.
Arguably Mikel's finest performance in a Chelsea shirt
was the Champions League Final against Bayern
Munich.
Mikel began the 2012/13 campaign in a similar vein to
the way he finished the previous one, and was
rewarded with the offer of a five-year contract, which
he signed early in December, tying him to the club
until 2017.
With only two deep-lying midfield roles available, he
alternated with Frank Lampard and Ramires for much
of the campaign, before sustaining a hip injury as the
season drew to a close.
He was an unused substitute in the Europa League
final against Benfica.
Mikel scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea
in a 2-0 win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge in
September 2013, and followed it early in 2014 when
as captain he headed the opening goal in a 2-0 FA
Cup win at Derby County.
Pre-Chelsea
Mikel became a squad addition the summer after
Chelsea had secured a second straight league title. An
agreement had been reached with Manchester United
and Norwegian club Lyn Oslo that allowed Chelsea to
sign the then 19-year-old Nigerian midfielder for a
combined £16 million.
A powerfully-built young man with exceptional ball
skills, his standing as one of the brightest young
talents in the game had been confirmed at the African
Cup of Nations earlier that year, his senior
international debut having come in August 2005.
Previously Mikel had starred in the 2005 Fifa Under 20
World Youth Championships where he was voted the
tournament's second best player as Nigeria made the
final. The player trained with Chelsea for one week in
the winter of 2004 and José Mourinho had seen
enough to wish to sign him.
The then manager said: 'Everybody was in love, not
just me. The players were amazed at a young boy
coming and training with us with such quality.
'Later we saw him in the Africa Cup of Nations playing
like a giant. He was at an unbelievable level and we
know what a player he can be.'
International Career
Mikel made his debut for Nigeria in 2005, the then 18-
year-old coming on as a second half substitute in a
1-0 friendly win over Libya.
His next appearance for the Nigerian side came
against Zimbabwe in the second group game of the
2006 African Nations Cup. Having started the match
as a substitute, he made an immediate impression
upon coming on, grabbing a goal and assist within 10
minutes. This earned him a first competitive start
against Senegal in the final group game, a match
which was won 2-1.
His fortunes took a turn for the worse over the next
two years, getting suspended for not turning up to an
international but then securing a place in Nigeria's
2008 African Nations Cup squad after bridges were
rebuilt.
Nigeria were a surprise package, eventually losing to
an Essien-less Ghana in the semi-finals. For Mikel
there was an unfamiliar role of playmaker just behind
the Nigeria strikers and he was their outstanding
performer, scoring a goal and making an assist in one
game. Injury ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup.
After a lengthy absence, Mikel was recalled to the
Nigeria squad for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
against Liberia in October 2012.
At the tournament in South Africa at the start of 2013,
he was one of the senior members of the team at just
25 years of age and was commanding in a more
advanced midfield role than his usual club position.
Nigeria won the Cup of Nations with Mikel ever-
present, beating Burkina Faso in the final.
Mikel played in all three group games as Nigeria were
eliminated at the first hurdle in the 2013
Confederations Cup, and scored with a well-taken
strike in their 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.