| Full Name | John Mikel Obi |
| Birth Date | April 22, 1987 |
| Birth Place | Jos, Nigeria |
| Height | 1.80m |
| Weight | 81.3 kg |
| Age | 22 |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Squad No | 12 |
Mikel's strength on the ball and natural aggression make him an asset for both club and country. Mikel began his career with Plateau United in his homeland before spells with Ajax Cape town in South Africa and Norwegian side Lyn Oslo. He fast became one of the most sought-after young players in Europe and in 2005 Manchester United beat a host of interested parties to his signature. But Mikel had other ideas, and despite appearing at a press conference in a United shirt, the midfielder claimed he had been pressured into the move and wanted to move to Chelsea instead.A legal dispute ensued but eventually the Chelsea deal was done, costing the Blues £16 million in a complex move that involved money being paid to both United and Lyn Oslo.
But Jose Mourinho was delighted to get his man and Mikel started 24 games and scored twice in his first season, as well as winning the African Young Player of the Year Award for a second successive time. The midfielder's development continued in 2007-08 but questions continued to be raised about his temperament after he was sent-off against Manchester United and Everton, and he was an unused substitute in Chelsea's Champions League final defeat to United. Michael Essien's injury absence allowed Mikel more playing time in 2008/09 and he seized the opportunity with a string of fine performances. He finished the season being nominated for the club's Player and Young Player of the Season awards. Essien's return has seen Mikel reduced more often to a substitute under Carlo Ancelotti, though he signed a new long-term contract in the summer of 2009.
For Nigeria, he was touted as a future superstar after a series of scintillating displays in the 2005 Under-20 World youth Championships earned him the silver ball for second best player in the tournament, behind Lionel Messi. He played for the Super Eagles in the 2006 and 2008 African Nations Cup, and played seven games of the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. The midfielder also courted controversy after refusing to play for the Under-23 side in Olympic qualifiers.
Strengths: Aggressive and fearless in the challenge, Mikel is not just an ankle-biter but has excellent distribution to boot.
Weaknesses: Poor discipline, Mikel has often been criticised for moments of petulance but at the age of 22, they can no longer be explained away as youthful over-exuberance.
Career High: Winning the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2007. Mikel was handed a starting berth after Michael Essien was moved into defence but he took his chance with an excellent performance, playing the entire 120 minutes in the Blues 1-0 extra-time victory over Manchester United.
Career Low: Being sent-off in the 2007 League Cup final against Arsenal in an incident that provoked ugly scenes.
Style: Solid defensive midfielder, at best when deployed in the anchor role in front of the defence.
Quotes: "For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years. I would like that he puts in his great quality for the team." Carlo Ancelotti, July 2009.
Trivia: The scout who first recommended Mikel to Chelsea was Piet de Visser, who is also credited with bringing Brazilian superstars Romario and Ronaldo to Europe.
Soccernet says: Controversy has never been far behind Mikel, but the 22-year-old is an undeniable talent and has the chance to let his feet do the talking at the 2010 finals. Some of Mikel's finest performances for Chelsea have come in the Champions League and he does seem to thrive on the big stage. Will need to be on top form and must keep his cool but is a crucial player for the Super Eagles.
| 2010/11 Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC | |||||||||
| Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2010/11 Season Totals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2009/10 Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC | |||||||||
| Chelsea | World Football Challenge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | World Cup Qualifying - CAF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | Premier League | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English FA Community Shield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English Carling Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2009/10 Season Totals | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 40 | 33 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2008/09 Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English Carling Cup | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English FA Cup | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 6 | 63 | 59 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | World Cup Qualifying - CAF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | International Friendly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2008/09 Season Totals | 51 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 6 | 93 | 93 | 11 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2007/08 Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC | |||||||||
| Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | Premier League | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 43 | 46 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2007/08 Season Totals | 24 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 60 | 51 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 2006/07 Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC | |||||||||
| Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English FA Community Shield | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English Carling Cup | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | English FA Cup | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | Premier League | 10 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| Glossary |
| GS: Games Started, SB: Used as Substitute, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal, YC: Yellow Cards, RC: Red Cards, FC: Fouls Committed, FS: Fouls Suffered, SV: Saves, OF: Offsides, W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Losses |
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