tbaba1234:


I know Mikel was in SS1 when he joined Plateau United so he was probably just 15. I was an ardent follower of the league at the time and i am sure, he did not play a league game before leaving.

Maybe smaller games but not a league game.

Lol.. You thought wrong. He made his debut in the league for Platuea Utd. My memory is a bit fuzzy but I think he stood out in a game against Wikki tourist when he made the back page of a weekend sports newspaper.

tbaba1234:



He did not play, a single professional game. Not one.

Born in the city of Jos, Nigeria, and named John Michael Nchekwube Obinna, Mikel started his official football career at the age of 12 when he joined the popular and prestigious Pepsi Football Academy which has produced several star professional footballers including Peter Odemwingie. Due to his stand-out football abilities, Mikel was soon picked to play for Local club Plateau United, famously making a debut for them at the age of 15 years.

https://www.pulse.ng/bio/john-mikel-obi-id4786622.html

tbaba1234:



He did not play, a single professional game. Not one.

He played for plateau Utd in the FA cup and league for 3 months. Make your verifications and prove me wrong.

tbaba1234:


Untrue, Mikel did not play a single league game. Not one.

John Michael Nchekwube Obinna, commonly known as John Obi Mikel, is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Chelsea and the Nigeria national team. He started his official football career at the age of 12 when he was picked from over 3000 young talents playing in the Pepsi Football Academy. He has come a long way since then. Obi has always stood out, owing to his impressive style and technique. He got picked to play in the top-flight team Plateau United, and made headlines for his country at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships held in Finland.
https://m.sportskeeda.com/player/john-obi-mikel

I can even mention the league game that brought him to national prominence. I think his brother, Ebere who I know very well was the captain of Plateau Utd at the time.

tbaba1234:


Untrue, Mikel did not play a single league game. Not one.

Full Name: John Michael Nchekwube Obinna
Date of Birth: 22 April 1987.
Nationality: Nigerian
Country of birth: Nigeria
Place of birth: Jos
Position: Midfielder
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 86kg
Foot: Both
Player’s agent: John Shittu
Current club: Chelsea FC
In the team since: Jul 19, 2006
Contract until: 30.06.2017.

Early Life

Mikel John Obi (born April 22, 1987) is a Nigerian footballer. He is an attacking midfielder who currently plays for Chelsea.
He was born John Michael Nchekube Obinna, the son of a former civil servant. Mikel was playing top-flight football for Plateau United aged 15 and, by 2003, was gaining headlines for his country at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships held in Finland. After a brief spell in South Africa with Ajax Cape Town, Mikel gained global recognition in 2005 by starring at the FIFA World Youth Championship where Nigeria were beaten 2-1 in the final by Argentina.

https://www.nigeriagalleria.com/Nigeria/Personality-Profiles/Footballers/MikelObi.html

If you have connection in Jos, ask and get the information you seek for. Mike's family house was about opposite the Rwang Pam stadium. He was a proper Plateau Utd player. Although, he padded up his age a bit.

Our dad encouraged all of us to play, he used to be a player himself, he played for Gombe United or so. Mikel started from Igbo league and then to Plateau United while he was still in secondary school. From there, they had a friendly match with the Under 17 National team here at the Jos township stadium and he played very well. That night, one of the coaches came looking for him. I told him that my brother was sleeping but he asked me to wake him and my father. Later they gave him the address of the hotel they were staying and invited him to join them. Even before he joined Plateau United, my father encouraged him. He however told them to be careful with him so he doesn’t break his legs......

Tony, Mike's Elder brother.

“Football is real business now, hence the need for us to encourage players to showcase their talents and become millionaires.
“Plateau United was paying the likes of Mikel Obi less than N20,000, but today, as young as he is, he is already a millionaire, if not a billionaire....

Bitrus Bewarang, former Plateau Utd coach

andrew444:


Kenneth didn't play for Sunshine

It's a lie. He played for Sunshine with Godfrey Obabona

Chelsea starlet Kenneth Omeruo reckons that he has a good understanding with his central defensive partner Godfrey Oboabona, having played with him at Sunshine Stars of Akure few years back.

Also, the Nigeria manager Stephen Keshi was a center back during his playing days and his handouts before national team matches make his job on the pitch easier.

“I do have a good friendship with Godfrey Oboabona off the pitch, we talk on Skype sometimes. Before the national team I used to play with him in the Nigerian league with Sunshine Stars.
http://allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=12202

Even Mikel Obi played league games with Plateau Utd.

edi287:

To he fair at Torino he also had Belotti to contend with. Don't know what happened at Bologna sha. Yeah Sadiq has potential and all but Tammy is ahead. This honestly shouldn't be an argument

Belloti was injured almost half the season with a fractured knee and Torino opted to play Iago Falque as a false 9.

tbaba1234:
The reviews, i have read online on Enyimba's last match have been less than flattering.

Should tell you how unserious we are with football back home. I mean why on earth should the league go on break for the world cup when the league only produced one reserve keeper at the games. Many leagues around the world played on despite the world cup being played.
A match rusty Enyimba will not perform any magic.
Funny enough their is no end in sight when the league will resume.
Absolute Shambolic stuff. I really wished FIFA banned Nigeria, never knew Infantino was a coward.

tbaba1234:


You saw a good game. Some games are actually good but that is not always true. I stopped watching MLS a while back. There are some low quality matches that will make you wonder.

Americans are not that big with football. Infact, i remember when i was in college, the football matches were free to watch in the stadium so as to encourage people to come.

I agree, could be the good games that I have watched. The problem I have seen with their games is the lack of good defending. They all go gongho, trying to outscore themselves.
Atlanta is a other good team with Tata Martino their boss. Their center forward Martinez is like goal scoring cheat code.
Even a geriatric David villa is still putting defences to the sword. That should tell you everything.
Regardless, there are lots of comebacks, 4-3 scores and things like that.

tbaba1234:


Tactical not necessarily the most exciting

Talking about about exciting. I happened to watch a bit of MsL recently because pre season football is quite boring. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of football I saw, especially from LA galaxy with Zlatan and Gio Santos.
All the teams want to keep it on the floor and score as many times as they can.
Very exciting stuff.

elyte89:




Series A Most tactical league ?



Anytime I feel like sleeping and I don't want to use valium5,I will just tune my TV to serie A,five minutes later,I don sleep...extremely boring

LOL... In addition, their stadia are always empty. Italians hardly watch their league. C. Ronaldo was the perfect signing Seria A needed.

Triniti:
Cut the dude some slack, you are crying more than the bereaved already

Who told you I was crying for a multi millionaire player.

Triniti:
You are on this alone bro, the German FA has owned up that they handle the picture with Erdogan poorly and has apologized to all party concerned. Do you know more than the German fa?

Of course they handled it poorly. But I will wait for Mercedes and Vodafone to apologize to Mesut for ditching him.

Triniti:
I think you are the only one who does not understand an essay that awaken what dual nationality players goes through worldwide, dude said he’s not a politician, he’s just a sports man and was not there to endorse the Turkish president policies. It was charity function they attended together, by the way, didn’t you see ikay with him there too? They equally took the same picture with man. You have been sounding like the right wings with your analysis of this issue, even German Turks are with Ozil on this matter,they have openly shown solidarity with him, if you hate ozil this much just say it out and stop hanging about him recognizing his root and taking a picture with the president of Turkey as reason why he should take a fall for a poor World Cup outing

Look, Oezil made a very naive mistake posing for that picture and gifting his jersey to Erdogan. This guy is a super star player, a brand name who commands respect around the world. As a matter of fact, in 2016 he was rated as the biggest brand name in the premiership.
Knowing the world We live in is a politically charged environment where perception is everything.
Footballers and entertainers do not live in isolation of their environment. The picture was not ordinary, Erodgan used the photo in billboards to campaign in Turkish diaspora communities who are allowed to vote.

While Iyka Gundoghan addressed the matter when it was fresh, Oezil and his PR team lingered and waited for things to die down, which unfortunately didn't, following Germany's failure in Russia.
See, the western world is not like Africa where everything goes. You always have a repercussion for anything you do, Oezil is paying for his errors with loss of sponsorship from Vodacom, Mercedes Benz.

Are Germans racists? By all means, just like other European countries. But should Mesut have allowed himself to be used by a tyrant leader to win elections? Your guess is as good as mine.

tbaba1234:


I thought it was well written essay.

Racists in the western world try to tap on your heritage to say you are not truly European or American. So whilst, he is proud of his heritage, he is not less German than the others. These things are not binary, there is a bit of nuance involved.

I think he played a fast one on the liberalists, who just love it whenever the word racism is mentioned.
He has always identified with Turkey. He even had an opportunity represent Turkey but he chose Germany for the commercial advantage, obviously.
In the essay, he alleged racism and discrimination being called a German Turk then another paragraph, he said that his Turkish roots was not respected and at the beginning he said his roots was of both German and Turkish. What a paradox.
His case is not even helped with Erdogan's solidarity message.
He could loose even more followers and sponsors.

edi287:

Like I said - it was a charity event for a good cause. I don't think he told Erdogan "hey let's take a pic so we'll piss the German Government off".
It's not like the other contestants at the elections were there and he chose to take a pic with Erdogan instead

He doesn't have to come out and make a press release for the world to know which side he stands on. That picture said a thousand words.
By the way, I bothered to read through Oezil's multi paged essay and to be honest, it was full of crap.
In one breath, he identified himself as a German Turk, in another paragraph, he was crying for being called a German Turkey, calling it racism. In another paragraph, he called out the DFB for not respecting his Turkish origin.
Very disjointed essay to be honest

It's incredulous that Elderson Echiejile is still a Monaco player.
Who is his agent?

komekn:


You have no idea how Rohr hot his job in the first place.

That's why you can make the assumption you make.

Maybe when you get older or begin to engage with some of these people von higher places in the context of Nigeria.

You will understand the framework of corruption.

Lol... Executive kickback alleged by Glen hoddle comes to mind..

edi287:

I'm sorry but that's plain nonsense. As long as Ozil didn't come out and state his support for him. Foolish right winged nuts blew this out of proportion. It wasn't that serious

What support can be more than giving the man a jersey with your name at the back, posing for a photo op, all smiles, with a thumbs up during election campaign?
The guy has lost followers and sponsors as a result of his stupidity. He made his bed.

jihday:
they released the video already, he was caught on camera collecting bribe of 1k dollars to select 2 players for the Chan tourney, tho he claimed he was only given 750 and that he didn't do any wrong. let's see what the NFF will do about it

Na who then catch be thief. Manu Garba and so many other coaches are known to collect handouts. I don't know why Manu Garba's case was closed and he wasn't shamed out of his post. Instead he got another gig with the U17's.
I have a feeling if he was from another part of the country, that scandal would have been the end of him.
Amunike have also been involved in shoddy deals, where it was alleged he made prospective U17 players sign contract with his academy before they made his team.
Football is a reflection of who we are and what we are as a country.
Even in the NPFL, players share their salaries with team managers and coaches before they are signed while CEO's inflate contracts to collect markups from state government.
We must find ways to live and achieve results with our fraud.
Fraud has been institutionalized in the country and there's absolutely nothing anyone can do about it.
Take it or leave it.

tbaba1234:


That Athletico Madrid list..

The Athletico game was supposed to be solely for NpFL players. The game was as a result of the LMC- LA Liga partnership. Nigeria bent the rules to include a few foreign players.
I had to clear this, because I know were you're going.

isan:
Burundi u-20

The goal keeper, team captain and the guy next to the captain should be in their 50's.

tbaba1234:
Salisu Yusuf about to be exposed.

Undercover BBC report coming out on the super eagles coach tomorrow.

It relates to the WAFU cup and CHAN.

Cc: Icon4s, forgiveness, komekn, BascoVanVeli, goldfish80

Can't wait to get the juicy details.

tbaba1234:


Lothar Matheus took pictures with Putin who is also a dictator and there was no outrage. Does it mean that Lothar Mattheus supports Putin policies? Erdogan is not half as bad as Putin.

It is selective Outrage. There are other world tyrants who would not have received as much outrage..

The difference here is that Erdogan was standing for re elections at the time the picture was taken. It had the looks of a candidate endorsement to be honest.
This move have hurt Oezil's commercial brand which have seen sponsors ditching him.

tbaba1234:


I doubt he was thinking about politics when he took the picture. They met at a charity event so a picture was inevitable. He is Turkish. If any other German player did it, it will be a non-issue. There have several pictures of Ozil and Erdogan over the years. Should he cover his face and walk away? I do not understand the outrage.

If hypothetically, a popular player of German-Nigerian roots met Buhari or Osinbajo in a public place, a picture will be inevitable. Whether you love or hate Buhari's politics. Infact, Politics will be the least of the concerns.

I was reading somewhere that he created the most chances per game in the WC during the group stages. He is not the only one at fault for their ouster.

Posing for a photo op with a despotic leader like Erdogan was ill adviced.
Do you know Erdogan have had sports stars who have bravely spoken out against Turkish rule have faced ramifications with their families. Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter said Erdogan is ‘the Hitler of our times.’ Turkey lobbied America to extradite him to face a 4-year prison sentence. Not only that, they also targeted his dad with an arrest warrant.
Hakan Sukur is a man in exile in California in a slightly darker story where he was aligned to Gulenists who were blamed for a coup against Erdogan. When he didn’t renounce his allegiance, he was banished and his father imprisoned.

Maybe Mesut felt he had to take the picture, only he will know that. I guess you make the decision which side of history you want to stand on. He’s made his from a position of influence as a German immigrant (Merkel is his leader), other stars with a more direct link to the country made theirs and paid the price, but will live with the knowledge they stood up for their country. Also worth noting you can respect your ancestry without standing with a vicious tyrant.

ChrisKels:
Mundo Deportivo is reporting that FC Barcelona wants Senegal's 19 year old world cup star(Moussa Wague) who played as a right back to sign for the Spanish giant as a back up to Nelson Semedo.

They want him for their B team, so I heard.

tbaba1234:
It is so sad to see what is happening with Ozil.

The western world does not really accept immigrants or children of immigrants from other parts of the world. When you win , you are German. When you lose, you are Turkish.

With all the achievements for Germany, it is so sad that he is treated like that. All these German-Nigerians waiting for German call-up, I hope, they can see that they might never be fully accepted no matter how german, they are.

Oezil is a victim of the extreme far right politics of the west, who see Erdogan as the Sadam Husein of Turkey. It was ill adviced for Oezil to pose for a photo with him during election campaign, which looked like an endorsement for a tyrant.
The Turkish community in Germany is very strong and Oezil being a poster child of that community should have known better, especially when Turks in diaspora are allowed to vote. As a result, he has lost alot of endorsement, I hear about 8 of them have ditched him, apart from addidas and a couple of others.
Having said this, I think he got unfairly singled out for criticism for Germany's failure at the world cup,when the manager should have been held responsible.
Moreso, the stupid DFB chief who called him a goat bleeps is quite insane and should be jailed.
I wonder how Sane will be feeling now.

gamaliel9:
Watching Obinna Nwobodo at Ujpest...dude is bigger than this team ...kai

He's a special talent.

komekn:


I agree but I would look at in context and add the activities of our agents , NFF, club owners

The problem is thier greedy uncaring uninformed agents who tie them to slave contracts. In addition look at them as cattle to be sold to the highest bidder.

Go to Belguim in Antwep and see hundred of Nigerian footballers brought to Europe and abandoned, now washing cars to survive after shattered dreams. Even in Turkey too.

Then add to that the age cheating, behind the age cheating are agents and Nigerian football academy owners. It's all very elaborate manipulation. Men of 30 brought to Europe as teenager or 21 year old , it then within a few years becomes apparent.

I feel sorry for these boys thrown to these hungry Sharks and Piranha fish called agents.

These so called academies are glorified human trafficking rings. They take undocumented players to Norway, Belgium, Portugal and some of these Baltic countries for "hustling".
It is really sad their activities are not regulated. Some of them don't even have address. They train at community primary schools and other government facilities.
I met 3 Nigerian guys who were supposed to sign for Benfica but looking at them, you can tell they were working on construction sites in Portugal.
Somethings are better left unsaid.

tbaba1234:
The first consideration for Nigerian youth players is money. Players are not looking for the best deal for their careers, they are looking for who pays more.

The two Nwakalis had the world at their feet at the end of the under 17 WCs, They could have started off at smaller clubs where they get the chance of development and stability. Instead, they join big teams that ship them on loan to a new club each season. English teams where t is difficult to get work permits.

Musa Muhammad made the decision to go to Turkey and he is nowhere. Musa Yahaya is stuck in Porto's B team.

Look at the trajectory of Ndidi's career, he started at a small club where he got the needed minutes to improve. If he keeps building on his game, he might be at a major club soon.

It is most unfortunate that just a handful of our 2013/2015 U17 world champions are playing at decent level. The rest of them are either out of contracts or vanished into obscurity.
We would have been screaming age cheat if this was Pre-MRI.
You can sight the Ndidi example but many of those boys went to mid range clubs yet haven't gotten to Ndidi's level.
The bottom line is that if we fail to build our league and solemnly depend on European clubs to develop our talents, nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing will change from this reverse developments.
If FIFA's ban will lead to a restructure of Nigerian football, I am all for it. This scam empire should to be ripped apart.

TheGoodJoe:


That is just a quality attribute of Richarlison, not the only attribute that worths his value. Keep in mind, Richarlison is also one of the most hardworking players in the EPL. Covers a large distance during play, contributes offensively and defensively. He is good on the ball, skillful and has an eye to give a good pass. He is also a good crosser. A little polishing on his finishing and Everton will have a top quality player. He was one of the players I enjoyed watching last season.

This clip gives a hint of Richarlison's quality.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZMYYNYJwD8

Ighalo was more decisive for Watford than this guy. What's the rationale paying £50M for someone who didn't score a single goal in the 2nd half of last season?
We are not talking about a proven talent. He's not even an international for his Brazil. His first season in Europe, he score just 5 times and while at Brazil he has never hit double figures in his career.
You pay £50M for 5 goals? Laughable for a club like Everton to have paid £90M for Richarlison and Sigurdson combined. Lol