Chelsea midfield star Mikel Obi is amazed at the level at which football has developed in Africa, predicting that the continent will be in the spotlight in the nearest future.
The 2012 UEFA Champions League winner played a pivotal role in the Super Eagles’ third-time victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa on February 10. Nigeria beat surprise finalists Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final of South Africa 2013 to cart home the trophy they last won 19 years ago in Tunisia and Mikel is thrilled to have played a large part in the win.
“The level has gone right up,” the Holland 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup silver medallist told Chelsea Magazine.
“So to win it this time was just amazing. To win it at a stage when African football has become so interesting – when there are so many African players abroad – was really, really difficult, and we did it.”
The former Lyn Oslo star said he was shocked by the reaction of Nigerians to the team’s efforts at the competition, saying he never expected it.
The 25-year-old said, “It was crazy. It was really nice to go back home after the tournament with the cup – the whole country was waiting. It was a big, big thing, because we couldn’t walk, we couldn’t actually get out of the airport. The whole way through, from the airport to the hotel where we were staying, it was crazy.”
Mikel hailed the education he received at Chelsea, saying it has helped his development.
“Every major tournament makes you become more mature,” he said.
“I think it’s because I have played in so many major tournaments at such a young age that I have maturity – you go through a hard time to win tournaments and it makes you grow.
“It’s a life experience and it’s something that I have been lucky enough to do from a young age at Chelsea as well, where I have played alongside some of the best players in the world and I’ve learnt a lot from them.”