Mikel Reflects on Ferguson, United Interest, and Chelsea Years
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has revealed why his highly anticipated move to Manchester United collapsed two decades ago, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s strong interest in him.
Mikel first caught global attention at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, where Nigeria finished runners-up to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
At the time, he was playing for Lyn Oslo in Norway and found himself at the center of a transfer battle between United and Chelsea.
The midfielder had agreed to a pre-contract with Manchester United, but Premier League regulations requiring foreign players to have featured in at least 75 percent of their national team’s matches blocked the deal.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Mikel recalled Ferguson’s admiration for him: ‘Fergie loved me. He would always pair me with Roy Keane because he thought Keane would protect me from the likes of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who were always tackling people in training.’
Explaining further, he said: ‘At the time, the rule required players to have represented their national team in at least 75% of matches before being eligible to sign. The strategy was to get me in and out before I turned 18 but that wasn’t possible in my case.’
Chelsea eventually won the tug-of-war, signing Mikel in 2006. He went on to spend 11 years at Stamford Bridge, making 372 appearances, scoring six goals, and winning multiple trophies, including the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
