Super Eagles captain and former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has
explained his recent move to the Chinese Premier League to team up with
Tianjin Teda.
He said the move was primarily done to aid Nigeria’s push to be at the 2018 World Cup in Brazil.
Mikel was frozen out of the first team picture by coach of Chelsea
Antonio Conte, but the captain of the Nigeria team remained a regular
for the national team despite his lack of games at club level.
He decided to move to Tianjin Teda on a three year deal in order to get
playing time, and despite the fact that he will be getting double his
former pay in China, the 29 year old insist the move wasn’t all about
money.
“I could easily have stayed in Chelsea for the remaining six months of
my contract but it won’t be in the best interest of my nation, as they
need me match fit when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers resume”, Mikel told
Owngoalnigeria.com.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I seriously need matches to stay
fit for Nigeria. Nigerians don’t deserve to miss out of the World Cup
after back to back failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations”.
