Ex Super Eagles captain, john Mikel Obi gave over a decade of service to chelsea,the club he joined as a fresh-faced 19-year-old, during which time he won every major honour, as well as an Africa Cup of Nations and a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics with Nigeria.
He was renowned for saving his best performances for the big occasion, and his highlight in a Chelsea shirt came on in the greatest night of all, the 2012 Champions League final, when he produced a masterful midfield display in germany.
A strong, powerful midfielder with excellent positional sense and a sure touch, Mikel was a consistent presence in the team during his time in west London. He left in 2017 having won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup twice, and the Champions League and Europa League, too.
His value to the team was always keenly felt by those who managed him and played alongside him during his 372 appearances for the Blues, and that figure puts him in the very top bracket of foreign players to have represented Chelsea. At the time of his departure, only Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic had made more.
