Sports

10 Highlights From Mikel’s Career As He Retires

Published

3 years ago

September 29, 2022

John Obi Mikel has gone on to become one of the greatest Nigerian footballers to wear the green and white for the Super Eagles in modern history.

Mikel has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35, having played for Nigeria at every level from the U-17 to the Super Eagles. He represented Nigeria in every major tournament there is in football and is one of the few Nigerians to have ever won an African Cup of Nations title.

After a stellar career across 20 years where he won every major trophy available at club level and won the AFCON in 2013 with his country, Mikel retired from active football on Tuesday.

At ten of the greatest moments of the former Nigerian skipper’s career with five while representing Nigeria and five while donning the blue of London club Chelsea.

SUPER EAGLES

1. Winning the 2013 AFCON

The most important game of Mikel’s career in the Super Eagles and perhaps even the most important game of his career as he and the Eagles were able to end Nigeria’s 19 year wait for the AFCON trophy.

Although Mikel was invinsible at times in the Eagles’ build-up to the final , he was pivotal in the final game against Burkina Faso that led to Nigeria winning their third and most recent in history.

The achievement came in his 7th year in the national team and on his 4th AFCON. Mikel played just one more edition of the tournament before quitting the national team in 2019.

2. 2016 Olympics bronze

Mikel had drawn the ire of Nigerian fans in 2008 when he missed out on the Olympics due to club engagement. It would take some time to forgive him and Nigerians never completely forgave him until his major success at the AFCON five years later.

In 2016, he defied the warnings of then Chelsea manager Antonio Conte to lead the Dream Team XI to the Olympics. Mikel underlined his legendary status at the tournament as he led the team to a bronze medal finish in Rio de Janeiro.

Nigeria became the first ever country to win all three medals at the Olympic Games with the 1996 squad winning the gold and 2008 squad winning the silver.

3. Nigeria vs Argentina – Netherlands 2005 WYC Final

It was 2005 at the FIFA World Youth Championships in the Netherlands when Mikel first truly announced himself on the European stage, arriving at his coming-of-age party already almost fully developed.

The game still fondly remembered after close to two decades was the one Nigerians stood up for Mikel. Mercurial, effervescent, efficient, the former Chelsea midfielder showed great offensive and orchestrating skill.

Samson Siasia’s Nigeria Under-20 side finished second at that tournament, losing to an Argentina team led by a certain Lionel Messi in the final, and Mikel was so impressive that he was awarded the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player behind Messi, of course and he might have even pipped Messi to the Golden Ball had things gone Nigeria’s way in the final

4. Nigeria vs Zimbabwe – First Super Eagles call up

Mikel was in the middle of a transfer tussle between Manchester United and Chelsea when he got a nod to represent the Super Eagles at the 2006 AFCON in Egypt

Austin Eguavoen invited Mikel to the Eagles team following the youngster’s brilliant display at the U-20 World Cup. Mikel was too good to be ignored and on his AFCON debut, he scored and assisted Christian Obodo’s goal against Zimbabwe.

That proved to be Mikel’s grand entrance into a national team career that was full of fond memories.

5. Playing at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup

After he was ruled out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa due to injury, Mikel made his World Cup debut during the 2014 tournament in Brazil, earning a man of the match award in the Super Eagles’ opening game against Iran and helping the team to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1998.

In a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Algeria, Mikel scored a goal and assisted his Chelsea teammate Victor Moses in a 3–1 victory, the last time the Eagles defeated the Desert Foxes.

CHELSEA

1. Champions League Trophy

Mikel had the best night of his Chelsea career as he played the full 120 minutes in Munich at the 2012 UEFA Champions League final, when the Blues claimed the highest trophy in Europe against a relentless Bayern Munich side and became the first and only London team to win a Champions League.

2. First Goal

Mikel’s stunning volley against Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup on January 6, 2007 was his first goal for Chelsea, as the Blues routed them 6-1 to move to the 4th round of the competition. Mikel was named Chelsea Young Player of the Year for 2007 after an impressive start to his Blue career.

3. First Trophy

The first winner’s medal of Mikel’s Blue career came in the 2006-2007 League Cup against Arsenal where he was unfortunately sent off. It was also the day he got his first red card in a Blue shirt after clashing with Kolo Toure. The incident was followed by a huge quarrel where Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor were also sent off, Cesc Fàbregas and Frank Lampard were booked and Jose Mourinho and Arsène Wenger were involved in a scuffle on the pitch.

4. First Premier League Goal

The long awaited first EPL goal for Mikel came after 6 years playing for the London Club, in a 2 – 0 win against Fulham, on 21st September 2013.

5. First Premier League Trophy

The 2009/2010 season saw Mikel lay his hands on his first EPL title. A trophy even the legendary Steven Gerard of Liverpool never touched. He became the second Nigerian to win the coveted trophy behind Nigerian icon Nwankwo Kanu. The elite list of Nigerians to have won this title stands at three with fellow 2013 AFCON winner Victor Moses joining later on.

Although Mikel might not have inspired poetry in the way Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha did, however, his solidity at doing his job and filling his role can see him rightly take his place in the pantheon of Nigerian greats.
PUNCH

Sports

Court Fixes Date To Hear Sala Compensation Dispute

Published

3 days ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

A commercial court examining the long-running dispute between Cardiff City and French club Nantes over compensation for the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash said Monday it would give its decision on March 30 next year.

Sala, a 28-year-old Argentine striker, died when the light aircraft taking him to the Welsh capital came down in the English Channel on January 21, 2019, two days after he had signed for the then-Premier League side. He and pilot David Ibbotson were killed.

The Welsh club took the case to the Nantes commercial court in 2023 to claim compensation for loss of income and other damages suffered by the club as a result of the player’s death.

Following an analysis conducted by an expert appointed by Cardiff City, the club estimated their losses at over 120 million euros ($139.5 million). Lawyers for both clubs made their cases at Monday’s hearing.

The Welsh club argue that Nantes, through their intermediary, agent Willie McKay, were the organisers of the private flight on which the footballer was travelling and that, if the transfer was effective at the time of the accident according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it is the organisation of this flight that is at issue.

Cardiff City’s lawyer, Olivier Loizon, told the court Monday, Willie McKay “could not have been unaware of the illegality of the flight”, and argued that the agent had acted with “negligence”.

“Whatever the ultimate cause of the accident, (Sala) should not have been on the flight,” he added.

Nantes’ lawyer, Jerome Marsaudon, insisted Monday the only agent authorised by the club in connection with the transfer was Mark McKay, the son of Willie McKay.

The elder McKay “was simply helping his son, given his extensive experience”, the lawyer said.

“It is sad to see that Cardiff have exploited this tragedy and turned it into a genuine legal farce,” he added. “Nothing in this case justifies holding FC Nantes liable.”

Prior to the start of the hearing, a Nantes representative said the club “have no doubt that Cardiff’s claims will be rejected outright, just like all the others”.

In another case related to the dispute between the two clubs, CAS ruled in 2022 that Sala’s transfer had definitely been finalised at the time of his death.

In 2023, world football’s governing body FIFA ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes the balance of Sala’s transfer fee, which at the time amounted to just over 11 million euros out of a total of 17 million euros.

Sports

Salah A ‘Disgrace’ For Liverpool Outburst – Carragher

Published

3 days ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled Mohamed Salah “a disgrace” on Monday after the Egypt star’s stunning outburst at Reds boss Arne Slot.

Salah said he had been “thrown under a bus” and had no relationship with Slot after he was left on the bench for last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds.

It was the third successive game that Salah had been kept out of the starting line-up by Slot amid the forward’s loss of form this season.

In response to Salah’s astonishing rant to reporters, Liverpool axed the 33-year-old from the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Inter Milan.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, said: “I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game.

“Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst. I don’t think it was. I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position.

“He’s chosen this weekend to do this now, and he’s waited I think for a bad result… everyone involved with the club (feeling) like they’re in the gutter, and he’s chosen that time to go for the manager and maybe try to get him sacked.”

Salah is a two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool and has also won the Champions League during his iconic eight-year spell at Anfield.

But, although he only signed a new contract in April, Salah hinted he might have played his last game for Liverpool as he prepares to jet off to the African Cup of Nations after their Premier League clash with Brighton at Anfield on Saturday.

Salah has been linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League and and Carragher added: “What he’s done off the pitch, I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad. Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don’t know.

“I hope he does, because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had, but if you continue like that, and statements like that, if he doesn’t play, who knows.”

Sports

JUST IN: Full Draw For 2026 World Cup Group Stages Confirmed

Published

6 days ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

The draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup has been conducted.

It took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in charge.

There will be 48 teams at next year’s tournament, to be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

All the participating countries were grouped into 12 groups of four.

Here is the full draw:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner Play-off D
Group B: Canada, Winner Play-off A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Winner Play-off C
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner Play-off B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner Play-off 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner Play-off 1, Colombia, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana