Nigerian Professional footballer, Mikel John Obi has retired from international football at the age of 35 years.
The former Chelsea man wrote on his social media page, “There is a saying that all good things must come to an end, and for my career, that day is today. 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 the day I did not live up to expectations,”, he reportedly said.
Mikel started his career with the regional team Plateau United before switching to the Norwegian club Lyn in 2004 when he was 17 years old. His most notable moment at the time of his youth was with the Super eaglet during the FIFA Under-17 World Championships held in Finland in 2003. His talent also won him the FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Ball in 2005 and the CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year of that same year.
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In the 2006 summer transfer, he controversially moved to Chelsea after Manchester United allegedly claimed to have already signed him. He won Chelsea Young Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008. Mikel spent 11 years with Chelsea winning two premier league titles, three FA cup titles, 1 League cup, one community shield, one Champions League, and the Uefa Europa league.
He left for China in 2017 signing with Tianjin TEDA. He spent two years in China before returning to England on a temporary deal with Middlesbrough. In July 2019, he joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer winning one Turkish cup. Mikel rejoined Stoke City in August 2020 after returning to England.
Mikel has a total of 91 caps for Nigeria throughout a 14-year international career, between 2005 and 2019, and scored six goals.
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