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

Edo Female Cricket League 2025 Takes Off Amid Applause From Sports Commission Boss

Published

17 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The 2025 edition of the Edo State Female Cricket League bowled off at the weekend in Benin City, drawing commendation from the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele.

In a statement released through his Media Officer, Mr. Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele hailed the tournament as another major step in grassroots sports development, describing it as the true foundation of Edo’s growing sporting excellence.

He praised Governor Monday Okpebholo for sustaining a conducive environment for sports to thrive, noting that Edo has now become “a sporting hub in Nigeria, hosting viable tournaments that nurture young talents for national and international glory.”

The Sports Commission boss highlighted cricket’s steady rise in the state, recalling Edo’s strong performances in national competitions such as the Sports Festival and the National Youth Games, where state athletes bagged gold medals.

“We’re deliberately investing in sports beyond football. Cricket is one of those with huge potential, and we’re determined to keep catching them young,” Enabulele said.

The weekend fixtures lived up to expectations, producing some thrilling moments across two venues in Benin City. Adolor Amazons and Emotan Queens recorded early wins in the opening round of matches.

At the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Cricket, Iyoba Girls College, Ekpoma Supernova CC beat Idia Royals CC by two runs in a nail-biting finish. The Supernova team, who had scored 47 runs all out in 18 overs, fought back dramatically to bowl out their opponents for 45 after initially trailing.

Coach Emmanuel Eromosele, still thrilled by the result, said he had “almost given up,” but credited his players’ resilience and fighting spirit. Team captain Peculiar Agboya added, “We had a lot of young players out there today, but we believed in ourselves and it paid off.”

At the High-Performance Centre, Edo Boys High School, Emotan Queens CC crushed Adolor Amazons CC in a low-scoring affair, chasing down 20 runs in just three overs. Their coach, Osamudiamen Ikpomwen, described the result as “a good day for us—two games, two wins. But we know we can always do better.”

The league continues on Saturday, October 18, with Emotan Queens CC facing Ekpoma Supernova CC at Iyoba Girls College, while Adolor Amazons CC take on Idia Royals CC at Edo Boys High School. The top two teams will meet in the grand finale on Sunday, October 19.

Sports

WCQ: Haaland Scores Hat-trick As Norway Thrash Israel 5-0

Published

3 days ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to pass 50 international goals in record time as Norway cruised to a 5-0 thrashing of Israel on Saturday, edging closer to qualifying for a first World Cup since 1998.

Norway, who have not played at a major tournament since Euro 2000, now lead Group I with nine points more than second-placed Italy, who have two games in hand and play in Estonia later Saturday.

The Scandinavians will secure a place at next year’s finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a win over the Estonians on Tuesday if Italy fails to defeat either Estonia or Israel in their next two matches.

Manchester City striker Haaland is the leading scorer in European qualifying with 12 goals so far.

He also became the fastest player in men’s international football to reach 50 goals for his country and now boasts 51 goals for Norway in just 46 games.

England captain Harry Kane held the previous record, bringing up his half-century in 71 appearances.

Ahead of kick-off, hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration, chanting “Free Palestine” to protest against Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, AFP journalists reported.

The head of the Norwegian football association, Lise Klaveness, recently said she was pushing “for Israel to be sanctioned”.

In early action, Haaland surprised the Norwegian fans in the Ullevaal Stadium when his penalty was saved by Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.

The spot-kick was ordered to be retaken for encroachment inside the area and Haaland struck his second effort in the opposite direction, only for it to be parried away again by Peretz.

But Norway did forge ahead in the 18th minute through an Anan Khalaili own goal, before Haaland raced clear to score in a ninth successive international appearance.

The hosts grabbed their third just seconds after Israel kicked off again in the 28th minute, as Peretz kicked the ball off Idan Nachmias, who was under pressure from Haaland, and into the net for another own goal.

Nachmias also had to go off injured after colliding with the post.

Haaland added his second in the 63rd minute, powering home a header from Antonio Nusa’s cross, before nodding in to complete his hat-trick with 18 minutes left.

Elsewhere, Hungary beat Armenia 2-0 in Group F, meaning Portugal could qualify with back-to-back wins over the Republic of Ireland, who they were facing at home later Saturday, and then Hungary on Tuesday.

Sports

Just Like Football Clubs, Let’s Sign Foreign President To Fix Nigeria – Actor Okele [VIDEO]

Published

4 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Popular Nigerian actor, Tunde Usman, professionally known as Okele, has proposed ‘signing’ of foreign Presidents to fix the country.

The actor made the suggestion while reacting to Nigeria’s current economic hardship.

Reacting to the increase in price of cooking gas across the nation, Okele in a now trending video shared on his Instagram page proposed a football method of removing a non performing coaches to address Nigeria’s challenges.

Speaking in Yoruba, the actor argued that adoption of the football method might solve constant disappointment with elected leaders.

“Greetings to all Nigerians home and abroad. May God help us soften this hardship. I just thought of something about gas, fuel and the way things are expensive in Nigeria.

“If you are a lover of football you would know that every club has a coach, assistant coach, and those that train the keepers. So, instead of campaigning for different political parties with some looting our money, why can’t Nigeria look around the world and sign any ex-president that has proven himself in another country to fix Nigeria.

“Even many football nations signed coaches from different countries. Maybe we should adopt the signing of the President method to end different political parties campaigns. Let’s come together and sign our President the same way we signed the coach and we can sack the non performing President and sign a new one.”