More
    HomeSportsMikel Obi Recalls How He Gained John Terry's Trust at Chelsea

    Mikel Obi Recalls How He Gained John Terry’s Trust at Chelsea

    Published on

    By Becky Usman

    Former Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has shared an interesting anecdote about how he earned the trust and respect of his former teammate, John Terry, during their time together at Stamford Bridge. This pivotal moment occurred in a pre-season friendly match against AC Milan at the M&T Bank Stadium on July 25, 2009.

    Mikel revealed that it was during this game that John Terry, the former England defender and Chelsea captain, began to see him as a valuable asset to the team. The Nigerian midfielder’s performance against the likes of AC Milan stars Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, and Gennaro Gattuso left a lasting impression.

    During an episode of The Obi One Podcast, Mikel recalled the moment: “I think it was in the United States, we were playing a friendly game against AC Milan [in 2009], and I was feeling the game. I was getting the ball, I was dribbling past the likes of Ronaldinho, I was making successful passes – everything was going well. I was even receiving the ball from the keeper near the 18-yard box.”

    Mikel went on to describe how John Terry approached him during the match: “JT [John Terry] came up to me and said, ‘Mate, I think that’s enough now. You’ve had your turn; play simple now.’ I was wondering why he would say that to me because I was in the zone.”

    After the game, Mikel approached Terry to seek an explanation for his comments. He was surprised by Terry’s response: “I was like, why would you say that to me? And he said, ‘I was trying to look after you because you were doing so well, and I know you are going to start the season because of the way you’ve been playing in pre-season.'”

    Mikel considered that season as one of his best at Chelsea under the management of Carlo Ancelotti, during which he played almost every game until he suffered an injury. That season culminated in Chelsea winning the double, and the incident during the pre-season friendly with AC Milan had a significant impact on Mikel’s journey at the club.

    Latest articles

    CBN Announces New ₦5,000 & ₦10,000 Notes

      "In a bid to reduce cash handling challenges, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)...

    Society of Energy Editors hails Ojulari’s appointment as NNPCL GCEO

      Lagos -- The Society of Energy Editors, SEE, has commended the appointment of Engr....

    Taraba Council Boss Lambast Tiv-Elders, Says the appointment of Ter Wukari is Laughable and Baseless

      By Nahum Sule, Jalingo The Chairman of Wukari local government area of Taraba State, Mr....

    Ministry of Power, NSE expand efforts to address sector’s challenges

      BY AKUDORO GLORIA The Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) have...

    More like this

    CBN Announces New ₦5,000 & ₦10,000 Notes

      "In a bid to reduce cash handling challenges, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)...

    Society of Energy Editors hails Ojulari’s appointment as NNPCL GCEO

      Lagos -- The Society of Energy Editors, SEE, has commended the appointment of Engr....

    Taraba Council Boss Lambast Tiv-Elders, Says the appointment of Ter Wukari is Laughable and Baseless

      By Nahum Sule, Jalingo The Chairman of Wukari local government area of Taraba State, Mr....