After changing/confirming his name, Mikel John Obi has been driving Nigeria towards Olympic triumph. The Chelsea man scored on Saturday, too.
Mikel John Obi will not be available for selection on Monday evening as he is leading the Nigerian football team at Rio 2016. The midfielder was granted permission by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to take part in the Olympics and he certainly isn’t letting anyone down.
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The midfielder scored and made an assist as Nigeria defeated Denmark 2-0 in the quarter-finals. The result thrusts Nigeria into a semi-final against Germany and they are now just two wins away from Olympic gold.
Mikel opened the scoring for the 1996 football gold medallists in the 15th minute. Marauding into the box in a fashion Chelsea fans mostly associate with Frank Lampard, Mikel was on hand to neatly slot a cut-back into the net.
@mikel_john_obi wow! Great goal & follow up play mate, reminds me of Lampard!!!https://t.co/M2muihqEAc
— Steven Magill (@StevenMagill) August 13, 2016
The Chelsea veteran then helped Nigeria secure the win in the 59th minute. His corner was expertly converted by Aminu Umar to put the game beyond Denmark’s reach.
After more than ten seasons at Stamford Bridge, speculation surrounded Mikel’s future with the Blues. When he was confirmed as one of Nigeria’s over-aged players, doubts only increased.
However, Mikel revealed that Antonio Conte had in fact given his blessing, telling him to bring gold back to West London.
While the Nigerian has not had as much time as his colleagues to impress on the training ground, he is doing his utmost from afar.
Captaining his country, Mikel has led by example throughout the tournament, keeping the team together amidst a multitude of extraneous problems. Issues with wages have caused anger in the ranks, while a problem with the team’s flight payments meant that they arrived in Brazil just hours before their opening fixture.
However, they now find themselves in an Olympic semi-final. Should they be able to upset the Germans on Wednesday, they will leave Rio 2016 with silver at least.
With Chelsea’s starting midfield still undetermined, Mikel is making a strong case for significant involvement. Returning with a precious metal around his neck will only reinforce his claim.