1. The Nigerian midfielder’s real name is John Michael Nchekwube Obinna, but he has come to be known as John Obi Mikel or Mikel John Obi. Ahead of the 2003 FIFA Under-17 World Championships, the then Nigerian Football Association (NFA) mistakenly submitted his name as Mikel instead of Michael, and at the competition in Finland he was referred to as such, and decided to keep the name.2. He was the bone of contention between two heavyweight teams, Manchester United and Chelsea at the age of 18. He joined the latter from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo in 2006.
3. Mikel found the back of the net for the first time for Chelsea in his side 6–1 FA Cup victory over Macclesfield Town on January 6 2007. In the following round of the competition, he scored again as Chelsea secured a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
4. After more than six years without an EPL goal, Mikel’s first Premier League breakthrough came when he volleyed in a Lampard cross, which had been headed down by John Terry in September 2013. He has scored six goals in over 350 games for Chelsea.
5. Mikel became a European club champion with Chelsea in 2012, having defeated Bayern Munich in a tense final at the Allianz Arena which was eventually decided by a penalty shootout. Mikel played the full game and he can boast of two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, one FA Community Shield, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League.
6. In 2013, the Super Eagles of Nigeria won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with Mikel featuring as one of the stars of the tournament, and a leader on and off the pitch in South Africa. Nigeria’s third Nations Cup title was secured with a 1-0 final victory over Burkina Faso, as Mikel was named by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the official team of the tournament.
7. John Obi Mikel has a twin daughter, Mia and Ava with his girlfriend, Olga Diyachenko who is from Russia.
8. John Obi Mikel now plays his Professional football in China for Tianjin TEDA where he is the captain of the team.
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I love mikel obi,is my mentor