History of john Mikel obi(John Michael Nchekwube Obinna).

Mikel with Chinedu Obasi (left) during his spell at Lyn Oslo (photo: spox.com)

John Obi Mikel`s review John Obi Mikel plays as a 26 y.o. Midfield - Defensive Midfield for Chelsea in Premier League (England). He is valued for his great vision on the pitch, that allows him to make many interceptions during the game and accurately pass the ball to his teammates. Mikel is also a key player of Stephen Keshi's Super Eagles.

History:

Mikel started his career in Nigerian side Plateau United in 2002. Two years later he traveled to Europe and joined Norwegian side Lyn Oslo, and during two seasons spent there he played in just six league matches and scored once. In 2005, shortly after Mikel's 18th birthday, Manchester United announced that they signed the Nigerian for £4m and that he should join the club in January 2006. However Premier League rivals, Chelsea, issued a statement in which they claimed that they also had an agreement with Mikel and his agents. After a number of unexpected events that included Mikel's press conference during which he presented Manchester United shirt with his name, his sudden disappearance from Lyn described in Norwegian media as 'kidnapping', and his refusal to return to Norway from a tournament, all three sides finally found a consensus on 2 June 2006. That day Manchester United agreed to terminate their agreement with Mikel and were paid £12 million by Chelsea. Chelsea also paid £4 million to Lyn Oslo. On 19 July, Mikel received his work permit and officially joined the club. Since then he has appeared in 294 matches for Chelsea and scored three goals.

Mikel with Man Utd shirt (photo: vg.no)

Achievements:

Mikel has collected a lot of silverware during his stay at Chelsea. In England he won Premier League once (2009-10), FA Cup four times (2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12), League Cup once (2006–07), and FA Community Shield in 2009. Also he succeeded with Chelsea on the international stage, as he won UEFA Champions League (2011-12) and UEFA Europa League (2012-13). He received individual praise as well, as he won U-20 World Cup Silver football in 2005. Also he was selected African Young Player of the Year twice in a row, in 2005 and 2006 and Chelsea Young Player of the Year twice in 2007 and 2008.

National team:

Mikel made his debut in national team early, back in 2005 in friendly match against Lybia. Since then he has been capped 51 times and scored four goals. He was a part of the team that won Africa Cup of Nations this year.

Mikel in action for Chelsea (photo: The Sun)

John Obi Mikel was born as John Michael Nchekwube Obinna. During the preparations for U-17 World Cup in 2003, he was mistakenly registered by Nigerian Football Association for a friendly tournament as Mikel instead of Michael. He decided to keep the new name, as it had a special ring to it.