Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has revealed that his decision to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games effectively ended his career at Chelsea under former manager Antonio Conte.
Mikel Obi was part of Nigeria’s provisional 35-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics and later captained the team. He led the Dream Team to a bronze medal after a 3-2 win over Honduras in Belo Horizonte.
Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, the midfielder said the fallout with Conte began before the tournament when he and Victor Moses were invited to join Nigeria’s Olympic squad.
“Conte was the reason why I left. Once he came in, he was like ‘you’re not playing anymore’, then I left. Obviously when I saw Kante as well coming to the club I was like my time here is done,” Mikel Obi said.
He explained that the Italian coach warned him about the consequences of accepting the Olympic call-up.
Mikel Obi said, “The only reason I talked about was when he came in, I and Victor Moses got invited to go to the national team Olympics, so I had a conversation with the club and he (Conte) said I would not play for the club anymore if I decide to go. He said ‘I’m a new manager and I’m here, we need to think about the team and the club.’ And he made it clear that my time was done if I decide to go.
“And I was like, ‘You know what? I’ve been invited to represent the country at the Olympics.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, but if you go just know that your time here is done.”
Mikel said the warning became reality when he returned from Brazil and was made to train away from the first team.
“I had a hard time when I came back. He never spoke to me and sent me to the reserve team where I was training, and I started training alone for a while, for like six months. I knew my time was done, and I remember there was a period when the team started playing really, really badly,” he said.
“Then he called me and told me about the club’s performance and also asked if I wanted to come back. I declined because I had already made up my mind to leave anyway. I spoke to a few guys including Didier Drogba and he told me to find something new when things happen like it did.”
Mikel insists he has no regrets about choosing to represent the Nigeria national football team at the Games, saying the Olympic medal remains one of the proudest moments of his career.