Former Super Eagles of Nigeria captain, Mikel Obi has opened up on the aftermath of subbing Man Utd for Chelsea in a death snare encounter with Sir Alex Ferguson where he tripped off the stairs as he tried to hide away from the legendary manager.
In 2005, Mikel who was playing for Lyn Oslo, secured a switch to United shortly after turning 18 and was persuaded to sign a four-year contract with his agents being bypassed and it was anticipated that the midfielder would arrive at Old Trafford in January 2006.
Things took a turn when Chelsea then suggested that they already had an agreement with Mikel and his agents despite being pictured wearing a United shirt at a press conference in Norway, Mikel later stated that he was pressured into signing the contract without his agent present and said that he wanted to sign for Chelsea.
The Old Trafford club won’t go down without a fight, they then went on to make a complaint to FIFA about Chelsea and Mikel’s agents, and the situation was finally resolved in June 2006 when Chelsea, United, and Lyn reached a settlement regarding the player’s future.
Recalling events after his £16million official move to Chelsea on the Debrief Podcast, Mikel said: “I saw him one time, it was Manchester United against Chelsea, I was coming out of the dressing room and as I was coming out of the door at the corner he was coming out and I just s*** myself.”
“I can’t remember what happened, I think I tripped up on the stairs, he looked at me and he just walked out. He started chewing his gum and just walked out. He didn’t say a word.”
However, Mikel revealed that Ferguson eventually forgave him for the transfer.
He said: “It was a death stare. I met him a few times after that and we started talking about it and he forgot about it and forgave me.”
Mikel went on to enjoy a lengthy spell at Chelsea as he remained at the club until 2017.
In total he played 372 times for Chelsea and scored six goals, while he won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, and the Europa League.
