Who is Mikel Obi? Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Nigerian Soccer Legend

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10 Facts About Mikel Obi

John Obi Mikel played footballer professionally.
He was born April 22, 1987 in Jos, Plateau.
He played for Chelsea and other clubs during his career.
He is of Igbo ancestry.
Irosu and Michael Obi are his parents.
He lives in London with his wife and two children.
His wife is Russian model Olga Dyanchenko.
John Obi Mikel has twin kids, Ava and Mia.
John Obi Mikel is a Christian.
John Obi Mikel’s net worth is $45 million.

Who is John Obi Mikel?

John Obi Mikel is a former professional footballer from Nigeria. During his active career, he was a member of Chelsea Football Club as well as a number of other professional clubs. He was born on April 22nd, 1987 in the city of Jos, which is located in the state of Plateau. John Michael Nchekwube Obinna is his full given name.

John Obi Mikel comes from the state of Anambra. In Jos, which is located in the Plateau State, his father, Michael Obi, worked in an interstate transportation company.

He identifies with the Igbo people as his ethnicity. His mother’s name is Irosu Obi, sometimes known as Iro.

At the moment, John Obi Mikel lives in London with his family, which consists of his wife and two children.

John Obi Mikel’s Football Career

At the age of 12, John Obi Mikel began playing professional football. To become a professional footballer, he had to be selected from a pool of more than 3,000 young brilliant players by a squad that was well-known at the time for scouring all of Nigeria in search of young footballers with professional potential. Even though John Obi Mikel was also selected to participate in the Pepsi Football Academy, he had to withdraw due to injury.

Once he was discovered by the scouts, he was able to play for a premier team, Plateau United. Victor Obinna, Chris Obodo, and Celestine Babayaro were all former stars for Plateau United before they left for the European league.

In 2004, when he was 17 years old, he became a player of the Norwegian club “Lyn.”

John Obi Mikel signed with a Premier League team, Manchester United, on April 29, 2005, just a few days after he turned eighteen. Manchester United’s official website announced the signing of a contract with the young player after a one-on-one negotiation. Manchester United tried to convince John Obi Mikel to accept a four-year contract without consulting with his representatives. The transfer was expected to take place in January 2006 for a fee of €4 million.

While it is true that John Obi Mikel trained with Chelsea’s first-team squad in 2004, certain stories indicate that Chelsea was also involved in bringing him to Europe with the hope of signing him in the future.

Allegedly kidnapped on May 11, 2005, while playing in a cup game in Norway was a football player named John Obi Mikel. Manchester United’s assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz, had publicly accused Chelsea of being behind the kidnapping. In August 2005, FIFA said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Chelsea with anything. On the 12th of August, 2005, FIFA issued a demand that John Obi Mikel return to Lyn to carry out his contract with the club before deciding whether or not to uphold the contract he had signed with Manchester United.

According to reports, John Obi Mikel was abducted on May 11, 2005, while playing in a cup game in Norway. Manchester United’s assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz, had publicly accused Chelsea of being behind the kidnapping. In August 2005, FIFA said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Chelsea with anything. On the 12th of August, 2005, FIFA issued a demand that John Obi Mikel return to Lyn to carry out his contract with the club before deciding whether or not to uphold the contract he had signed with Manchester United.

John Obi Mikel made his Chelsea debut in the UEFA Champions League on September 12, 2006, and immediately impressed with a thunderous shot that garnered widespread praise. On October 14th, 2006, he received three separate fines for being tardy to training. Because of his actions, John Obi Mikel was benched for more than a month, prompting his father to express his displeasure with his son’s attitude.

He had a great season in 2008–2009, earning him nominations for both club player and young player of the year. John Obi Mikel faced drunk driving charges on January 24th, 2009. Despite the setbacks, on July 22, 2009, he signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

John Obi Mikel, as a member of Chelsea’s historic 2010 squad, won the Premier League and the FA Cup in consecutive seasons. Although Chelsea finished in sixth place, thanks to John Obi Mikel’s outstanding play in the latter stage of the 2011–2012 season and his impressive exploits in Munich, the club would compete in the Champions League again the following year. John Obi Mikel was one of the players considered for the African Footballer of the Year award back in November of 2012.

The Football Association accused John Obi Mikel of improper conduct on November 22, 2012, and he was charged with the offense. Following his threat toward referee Mark Clattenburg during Manchester United’s 3–3 draw, he was banned for three games and fined €60,000. He renewed his contract with Chelsea on December 5th, 2012, and played there till the end of the 2017 season. The team made the decision not to extend John Obi Mikel’s contract when it expires at the conclusion of the season, which was announced on November 4th, 2016.

John Obi Mikel was signed by Chinese club Tianjin TEDA on a free transfer on January 6th, 2017. He tallied his second league goal of the season on April 14th, 2018. John Obi Mikel departed from the Tianjin TEDA club at the conclusion of the 2018 Chinese super league season in November.

John Obi Mikel returned to England in 2019 after two years in China, signing a short-term contract with Middlesbrough in the English Championship. After the 2018–19 season, he was no longer needed by Middlesbrough and was released.

Trabzonspor signed John Obi Mikel to a two-year contract in the 2019 summer, with an additional year available. He officially parted ways with Trabzonspor on March 17, 2020, per a previously announced agreement between the two parties.

John Obi Mikel agreed to a one-year contract with English Football League Championship club Stoke City. The date was August 17th, 2020. In a 0-0 away tie with Millwall on September 13th, he made his first appearance. John Obi Mikel wanted to extend his stay with Stoke City by a year, Michael O’Neill said after the season.

John Obi Mikel’s Retirement

After John Obi Mikel was released from his contract with Stoke City on July 1, 2021, he immediately made the move to join Kuwait SC. Soon four months after becoming a member of the club, on November 4, 2021, his contract with the club was cancelled. This came just after he had joined the club.

On September 27, 2022, he broke the news to his fans that he would no longer be playing football at the professional level. John Obi Mikel decided to hang up his boots at the age of 33.

John Obi Mikel’s Marital Status

Olga Dyanchenko, a Russian model who owns a number of enterprises, is John Obi Mikel’s wife. He has been married to her for a while. She is 34 years old this year.