Club News: Chelsea legend John Mikel Obi announces his retirement
Chelsea legend John Mikel Obi has announced his retirement from football. The midfielder took to his Instagram to announce the decision (h/t Chelsea’s official website).
The defensive midfielder was one of the best in his trade during his over a decade time at the west London club. The 35-year-old won a plethora of trophies with the Blues including two Premier League titles, one Champions League title and four FA Cups.
He also had success with his country, when he helped Nigeria win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013. Having signed for the Blues as a 19-year-old kid, he went on to write himself in their history books.
Despite winning so much during his career and being one of the best of his time, Mikel will be infamously remembered for his controversial transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United and Chelsea went head-to-head for his transfer in 2006. United claimed that they had signed the player, only for the Blues to all claim the same. The transfer saga involved a lot of controversies and it ended with the Blues paying £12 million in compensation to United.
If this was not all, Barcelona are then said to have tried to hijack his transfer to the west London club. But, after all this, he ultimately played for the Blues and was worth all the drama involved. The midfielder went on to make 372 appearances for the club before leaving it to join Chinese club TJ Teda in 2017.
The midfielder played for a host of clubs since then and even returned to England. He played for Middlesbrough and Stoke City in 2019 and 2021 respectively. He has been without a club since leaving Kuwait SC in November last year and has now announced his retirement.
More Chelsea News:
- Former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham wants to return to the Premier League soon
- Reece James believes Chelsea have an exciting future under manager Graham Potter
- Christian Pulisic entered talks with Juventus, Chelsea will demand £31m
Mikel was a fan favourite at the Bridge and his announcement will bring good memories back to the minds of the fans. A legend at the west London club, we hope that Mikel has a good retirement.
