Ex- Tranbzonspor midfielder and UCL winner with Chelsea, Mikel Obi has heaped praises on fellow teammates as he names his best pals he has worked closely with in the long run of his trophy laden career.
Three notable Nigerian players, Vincent Enyeama & Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu gets a nod on the list:
Both were key figures of the Nigerian set-up during that tenure, helping the West African transition away from the dying embers of the Golden Generation before ushering in the new era under Stephen Keshi with the pair featuring together at the 2014 World Cup, as Nigeria reached the Last 16, and were a part of four Nations Cups squads together—memorably winning the Afcon in 2013.
Check out which other players made Obi’s list below;
5. Michael Essien
Essien arrived at Chelsea in a big-money transfer from Olympique Lyonnais, often playing alongside Mikel, redefined the defensive-midfield position as a whole and was also a very efficient full-back when needed with 17 goals and 168 appearances and was a Champions League winner alongside the Nigerian in 2012.
4 Nwankwo Kanu
Together, they were semi-finalists at the Africa Cup of Nations in both 2006 and 2010, although both underperformed at the 2008 event where the Super Eagles limped through the group before falling to hosts Ghana in the quarter-finals.No other Nigerian players have made more Champions League appearances than Kanu (60) or Mikel (59).
2 Didier Drogba
Drogba has been voted Chelsea’s best-ever player by the fans, which in itself speaks volumes of the impact he made at the London outfit. Capable of the spectacular at any given moment, Drogba scored 136 goals in 381 appearances for the Blues. He is a bona fide Chelsea legend and was the key figure in 2012 as Mikel’s Pensioners became the first London club to win the Champions League.
1 Samuel Eto’o
Samuel Eto’o arrived at Stamford Bridge in the twilight of his career having played for Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, he joined the Portuguese manager at the London-based side in 2013, and managed a memorable hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester United, one of his better performances for the Blues.
