Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel said converting to the role of a defensive midfielder was entirely Jose Mourinho’s idea and he gladly accepted the coach’s decision.
Mikel was an attacking midfielder in his formative years in football and fans came to know him for that role in the national junior teams and the Super Eagles. But when he joined Chelsea, his fans often wondered what he was doing defensively for the Blues.
“Mourinho decided that he wanted me to play the defensive midfield position. At the end of the day, he is the coach and made the decision,” Mikel told BBC Sport Africa.
“We discussed and he felt that because of the big midfield players he had in his squad at Chelsea that I should play the defensive midfield role.
“[Claude] Makelele was just finishing his career at Chelsea, so Mourinho wanted me to take over from Makelele.”
Speaking on his controversial move to Chelsea he narrated: “I don’t regret any decision I made because I enjoyed everything I achieved at Chelsea – it’s the best decision I have ever made in my life
“I signed a pre-contract for Manchester United when I was 17. If you are a kid and you see Sir Alex Ferguson right in front of you with the contract, of course you will be tempted.”
Mikel became one of the club’s most decorated players, winning the Champions League, Europa League, two Premier Leagues, two League Cups and four FA Cups in an 11-year spell which ended when he left Stamford Bridge in 2017.
Mikel won 89 caps for Nigeria, played in two World Cups and helped the West Africans win the 2013 Nations Cup, before announcing his retirement from international football three years ago.
Winning the biggest trophies for club and country is something that gives him satisfaction in a career that started in Jos and took him to Norway and China via England, Turkey and Kuwait.
“I always wanted to win the Champions League because it is the best football tournament in the world apart from the World Cup,” he added.
“To then win something with the national team was great. As a kid watching the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu, I said I want to win something with the national team.
“I am so happy to have managed to do that. I will rank both of them top as my most cherished trophies.”
Mikel was also one of Nigeria’s three over-age players as the African side he was captaining won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
