John Mikel Obi, the former captain of the Super Eagles, says he understands why Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho converted him to a defensive midfielder.
Mikel began his career as an attacking midfielder, where he was one of the best in his age group. The former Middlesbrough defender played as a number ten for the Golden Eaglets and the Flying Eagles, helping them reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in 2005.
Mikel joined Chelsea a year after winning the silver ball at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He joined the Blues with the expectation of continuing in his attacking role, but to everyone’s surprise, Mourinho, Chelsea’s manager at the time, decided to play the former Super Eagles star as a defensive midfielder.
Fans were perplexed by the decision, but Mikel insists he had no objections. Following a conversation with Mourinho, the 35-year-old stated that he had to play as a defensive midfielder.
“I wouldn’t say so,” Mikel said when asked if he thought Mourinho coached him out of attacking into defending.
“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 in the number ten 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 [ number ten] 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.
“And I thought it was a positive chat, and after that, he said, I see you playing there,” Mikel added.
Mikel goes on to say that he has no regrets about the role and that he has had a successful career.
Chelsea won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Europa League, and the Champions League during his 372 appearances for the Blues.
