John Obi Mikel’s decision to join Chelsea instead of Manchester United in 2006 changed lives, according to the man himself.
A long, drawn out transfer ended up costing the Blues £16million – more than they would have liked to spend – as the young Nigerian initially agreed to join their Premier League rivals from Lyn Oslo in Norway. He even posed in a red shirt.
However, Chelsea claimed they also had an agreement and Mikel said Stamford Bridge was where he wanted to be.
Fergie was unimpressed. “I don’t believe it’s true that Mikel doesn’t want to join Manchester United; I believe he was forced to say it,” said the legendary coach.
“His family has been under enormous pressure and the circumstances are very sad. The way he and his family have been treated and put under pressure is, quite frankly, disgusting.
It’s still something Mikel is asked about over 10 years later.
“My dad wasn’t very happy with what happened either,” he wrote in theplayerstribune in 2018.
“He wanted me to go to Manchester United because he liked Alex Ferguson. Back home in Nigeria, a lot of people were saying I should go to United because of the quality of their work with young players, as Chelsea come to buy superstars.
He was only 18 and was being pulled in various directions.
“I had Sir Alex Ferguson calling me on the phone on one side. And I had [former Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich on the other side, putting me up in London, hiding somewhere where only a few people knew where I was. It was really confusing, and I was a kid, you know?
A decision had to be made.
“FIFA said, ‘Look, we know you’re young and these two clubs are fighting for you. We can’t decide for you. You can only go where you want to. You must tell us.
“You know what decided me? Chelsea had signed three other Nigerian players with me. They were staying with me in the house in London to keep me company. These guys… their lives depended on the decision I made.
“If I went to United, they were gone. If I went to Chelsea, they would have a career. No matter how long it lasted, it was important to me. Just to give them a chance, you know?
“I chose Chelsea, and four lives changed that day.”
United agreed to terminate their deal and the Blues got their man, but had to pay their rivals £12m, including £4m to Lyn Oslo.
Mikel stayed at the club for 11 years and won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, Champions League and Europa League.
It was a career he could only dream of when he was just a young boy hoping to one day emulate Nigerian superstars Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha.
When he left Chelsea he spent a year at Chinese side Tianjin TEDA then joined Middlesbrough in January 2019 on a short term deal before moving to Trabzonspor in Turkey and returning to England to play for Stoke in 2020 .
However, four months after leaving the Potters last summer, his contract with Kuwait Sporting Club was terminated.
Mikel is now 35 and now retired and whatever you think of him he has made an incredible impact.