Mikel John Obi

[Cosmin 2,484]

What a man! One of the legends, for sure!

 

[coolhead23 1,146]

Phew!!! So finally Mikel moves out ... not sure if I should be happy or emotional, got really mixed emotions right now specially after reading the letter that he published. 

Anyways, all the best to his career and hope he does really well for himself in China ... Thanks for everything, Mikel!!! 

[mccg 1,528]

Did we get loads of Chinese dollar for him , me love him long time if we did lol. Its been emotional Mikel...

[ManchesterMatt 52]

Happy to hear of the move, from both John Obe's perspective and Chelsea's.

Although a lot of fans have criticised his performances over the years; I always found him to be a rather steady rock in the centre of midfield and always loyal to the club. Hopefully he will thrive at his new club, particularly as he will likely be the star man (perhaps something similar to Nigeria where he has shown a different side to his game than that shown at Chelsea) and hopefully we received a decent fee for his signature.

[Beigl 1,387]

Hmm. From his point of view it is completely understandable to move on, he won everything and in the last years of his career he will make cash money for himself and his family. I liked him first and foremost for his loyal attitude, it wasn't always easy for him as he got offended by the fans many times. He even played out of his position his whole career to help Chelsea, so he deserves a recognition for that.

We lost a great guy and a decent squad player.

[MefiX19 1,092]

Good luck to him! Anyone knows when Mikel's statue will be in front of SB?

[Azpinator 2,325]

Goodbye, Mikelegend. 

[the wes 7,212]

Not my favourite chelsea player but thanks for playing a part in chelsea history and best of luck Mikel in the future 

[the wes 7,212]

3 hours ago, mccg said:

Did we get loads of Chinese dollar for him , me love him long time if we did lol. Its been emotional Mikel...

I think it was a free transfer 

[Unionjack 7,531]

2 minutes ago, the wes said:

I think it was a free transfer 

Yeah I know it was going to be to Milan.

 

There will be a few things I remember about John Obiwan. The 1st goal he scored. that sideways bicycle kick, after 185 appearances, that canon from outside the area against Maccesfield, everyone going nuts after the equalizer against PSG and just simply putting his foot out and taking the ball off Rooney when he was almost clear to score.
Ive never really disliked the lad and hes served us the best he could, we just needed more from him.
A very classy guy that never whined or bitched for not getting playing time. Good luck to the geezer.

[Fernando 6,376]

Wow that's something to finally see this thread in the ex players section. 

Wish him all the best. I will never forget his game in that cl final. 

[coolhead23 1,146]

3 hours ago, MefiX19 said:

Good luck to him! Anyone knows when Mikel's statue will be in front of SB?

That's gonna be at Emenalo's house not SB, mate ... 

[Steve 10,227]

One of the most underrated players to ever put on our blue kit. He gave 110% every time he played and to this day, it shocks me, that people don't see how much he contributed. Absolute beast in that holding role and without him we would not have that first CL trophy to our name. Can't thank him enough for his contributions to our greatest years as a club. All the best Obi! KTBFFH! 

[wilander 35]

[nachikethas 1,149]

Best of luck Mikel 

[Milan 17,835]

Another one from that Munich night gone. But I can fully understand that he wants to play more, he was not getting it here anymore. Only the very best of luck to you!

SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,761]

Long live the king.

[Amblève. 4,995]

There are the Beckenbauers, the Maradonas, the Peles, the Zidanes, the Messis, and the Ronaldos of the game.

And then there is Mikel.

A player who gets as often forgotten as he gets criticised. A player who isn't necessarily blessed with great athleticism nor on-ball skills. A player who will not often wow you.

But a player who, at the end of the day, has given his all and served Chelsea for years. Something, I will dare say, nobody can deny.

Over 10 years ago Mikel signed for Chelsea. A tall, lanky boy who seemingly received a yellow or red card everytime he stepped on the pitch, Mikel was an interesting case. Not only because of his controversial transfer but the role he was supposed to play when he first joined: Lampard, Ballack, Essien, Makelele, Geremi, Diarra all were already at Chelsea when Mikel arrived. Various other central midfielders came and left. Over a decade later and a few hours ago Mikel was still at Chelsea. I truly believe he embraced being a Chelsea player. A boy among men such as JT and Drogba Mikel was for years one of our youngest first team players learning from the best, listening to the most dedicated, being indoctrined by those who will always be Blues until he became one himself. In the process of reaching that status Mikel experienced the biggest defeats and glories in the history of our football club and always put in his best performances when it mattered most.

FA Cup Final 2007.

CL Semi-Final 2009.

CL Final 2012.

Watch any of those games and the one thing that will stick out most will be Mikel's coolness. Mikel always knew all the angles and the space he could operate within. His composure made him a bastion of calm when we most needed it. Watch any of our greatest victories from the past 10 years and chances are good you will find Mikel somewhere. Why?

Because Mikel never complained or put himself above the team.

Because Mikel played when his father was potentially facing death.

Because Mikel scored when he wanted.

After a decade of being privileged to watching him play for Chelsea, I can, without any doubt, say Mikel was worthy of wearing our blue. He will never be forgotten, he will always be a legend.