After an 18-year-long career, 11 of which were spent at Chelsea, Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi announced the end of his professional career at the age of 35.In his stellar career, Obi won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the 2012 UEFA Champions League and the Europa League the following season, and the Turkish Cup in 2020, his last trophy. But above all that, he lifted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013.In an emotional post on Instagram, Mikel thanked everyone for making his career what it was.”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.”EXCLUSIVE Ndidi for Mozzart Sport Kenya: John Obi Mikel is an inspiration for meSpeaking about his career last year, the former Nigerian international told The Athletic that leaving Chelsea in 2017 was very painful. The final time he drove away from the club’s training centre, he couldn’t keep it together.”There were tears in my eyes. I parked around the corner. I just had to take a minute. There was the realisation that this was it for Chelsea and me. For 11 years, I had done the same thing, had the same locker, and driven to the same place every day. Chelsea was my second home. I was often there from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon. I was there more than I was in my own home.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6681081##Obi Mikel left Chelsea in 2017 for Chinese team Tianjin before his return to England for Middlesbrough only two years later. He then moved to Turkey in 2019, where he won the Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor a year later.The Nigerian star hails Jose Mourinho as the best coach he’s ever had – even though fans in Nigeria hated the Portuguese for fielding Obi in a more defensive role. The midfielder didn’t share that view, stating multiple times that his potential was unlocked by Mourinho’s man management and tactical decision.”When I joined Chelsea from Lyn in Norway, I had to wake up. The Mourinho way of making you wake up is not easy. He will make you sweat, he will punish you in different ways. It is because he cares about you so much and really wants you to be that player because he knows you have that quality inside of you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t care. If he does things to you it’s because he really believes in you. I took it in the right way and I worked and I worked on myself. And then I became the player that he wanted me to be.”Enjoy your retirement, @Mikel_John_Obi!Thanks for the memories. 💙 pic.twitter.com/xK9EnCo4XE— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 27, 2022 Many headlines have been generated during Mourinho’s time as manager at Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur over his handling of some high-profile names. But Mikel has been watching from afar with a knowing smile, mystified why there is so much negativity.”When I see it happening to other players, I know exactly what he’s doing. He wants a reaction. He will do it again and again until he gets the reaction he wants. You just have to take it positively.”Obi Mikel made one final comeback to England in 2020 for Stoke until his departure for Kuwait SC a year later. The Chelsea hero had been a free agent since last November until his decision to roll credits on his career.Enjoy your retirement, old man!
