EX-SUPER Eagles captain Mikel Obi has described his time under Jose ‘The Special One’ Mourinho as rewarding, as he called time on his career at 35.
Though, many of his fans have repeatedly claimed the Portuguese coach ‘killed’ his attacking prowess, which landed him Nigeria’s iconic number 10 shirt, he said, he won the most trophies as a defensive midfielder in Chelsea.
Mikel won every major honour possible in his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge
Mikel told Pulse Sports: ‘Obviously, I was such a creative midfield player, I was so creative. I was so gifted with the ball, I never lost the ball, and that’s why I played the number 10 role. I was this guy who made everything happen.
‘And then going to Chelsea, obviously with those big-name players, massive players, you have to kind of give something.
And then, he [Mourinho] looked at it and said, “I can’t really get you to play it [No 10] because we have the likes of Joe Cole playing there. We have massive names playing there, you’ll have to change something,” and we had a chat about it.
‘I thought it was a positive chat, and after that, he said, “I see you playing there [deeper in midfield].”‘
MIKEL OBI: Mourinho made me a better player
By Taiwo Alimi, With Agency Reports On Oct 2, 2022
Mikel Obi
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EX-SUPER Eagles captain Mikel Obi has described his time under Jose ‘The Special One’ Mourinho as rewarding, as he called time on his career at 35.
Though, many of his fans have repeatedly claimed the Portuguese coach ‘killed’ his attacking prowess, which landed him Nigeria’s iconic number 10 shirt, he said, he won the most trophies as a defensive midfielder in Chelsea.
Mikel won every major honour possible in his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge
Mikel told Pulse Sports: ‘Obviously, I was such a creative midfield player, I was so creative. I was so gifted with the ball, I never lost the ball, and that’s why I played the number 10 role. I was this guy who made everything happen.
‘And then going to Chelsea, obviously with those big-name players, massive players, you have to kind of give something.
‘And then, he [Mourinho] looked at it and said, “I can’t really get you to play it [No 10] because we have the likes of Joe Cole playing there. We have massive names playing there, you’ll have to change something,” and we had a chat about it.
‘I thought it was a positive chat, and after that, he said, “I see you playing there [deeper in midfield].”‘
It may have harmed his attacking output, but in hindsight, Mikel’s positional switch under Mourinho eventually proved a masterstroke – and helped Chelsea write a new chapter in their decorated history.
On Tuesday Mikel, who featured 372 times in a trophy-laden 11-year stint with the Blues, announced his retirement from football aged 35 following a curtain-closing spell in the Kuwait Premier League.
Mikel recalled his most cherished performance in the 2012 Champions League final – which helped the Blues topple Bayern Munich in their own backyard to become European champions-though under a new coach.
Following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, interim boss Roberto Di Matteo reintroduced a number of key men ostracised under the previous regime, including Mikel.
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