There was a time I was very proud of this young Nigerian. this dude was once ranked 2nd in the world. during that youth tournament, I observed Mikel could marshal the mid-field like the ball was glued to his foot. The ball was not moving up to three or two feet away from his feet when he makes dribbles or goes on a run.
There are very few footballers worldwide with that ball control...unfortunately, Mourinho destroyed his talent, before he left Chelsea he was very good at back-passing.

Nigeria most loved footballer is Kanu Nwankwo

JayJay Okocha.

deltateam:


Best based on what?

Based on his mastery of the game. He is one footballer once he comes in contact with the ball you are certain he knows what do. His free kicks are spot on, his dribbling is unequalled, his penalties are sure banker.

Nobody mentioned Musa but y

Nigeria's best goal keeper is ike shoromu though... Don't know much about football.. Lol


I think every footballer is amazing in their own way... No one's mentioning obafemi martins, taiye taiwo... Oliseh and so on... The list is endless... If you keep comparing and comparing you'd never arrive at the best...

opribo:


Based on his mastery of the game. He is one footballer once he comes in contact with the ball you are certain he knows what do. His free kicks are spot on, his dribbling is unequalled, his penalties are sure banker.

How many of his shots at goal entered the net?

Scoring from Penalty spot is not part of it.
Who dribbling epp?

Go and review Ronaldinho's clips. You will understand that dribbling without scoring is nonsense.

Dinho will go you overhead 1, go you another 2, infact na you go advise yourself to avoid him.

He will dribble all the players and even goal keeper before scoring while Okocha will dribble everyone but shoot the ball over the bar.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dBz4dTZocg&t=323s

CoronaVirusPro:
Rita Dominic

.
I disagree. The best footballer is Adesua Banky W

Thryphosa:
John Mikel Obi, anyday anytime for me!

indomine generation spoted

www.nairaland.com/attachments/11293571_rj7py4zq98_pngbc613f563030dbb69c07c858fae379c1

Like for Mikel
Share for okocha

Thryphosa:
Anytime I remember his impact in the UCL triumph of 2012, his sterlihg performances in the Olympic, Confederation cup, AFCON 2013, Europa Cup, etc, you can't give it to any other man apart from John Mikel Obi.

Na Dem.
indomine people

to me i think it is Nwankwo Kanu, papilo though i am a chelsea fan and loved John Mikel Obi.

papilo by far

Austineva:
Mikel, for me cos trophy counts

which trophy? kanu has more

Okocha na GOD of football in NIGERIA AND BEYOND.

Lamanii22:
Nigeria's best goal keeper is ike shoromu though... Don't know much about football.. Lol


I think every footballer is amazing in their own way... No one's mentioning obafemi martins, taiye taiwo... Oliseh and so on... The list is endless... If you keep comparing and comparing you'd never arrive at the best...

Who's talking about goal keeper?

UdechiHD:
I’m tempted to pick Nwankwo Kanu. But looking deep with a sincere heart, I give it to John Obi Mikel.
The African Best that eluded him in 2013 is still painful till this day. Francophone politics denied Obi that award, but only God knows why?

kanu was 2x African best and more titles than Mikel.Many of you forget he was nominated for ballon d'or and finished 4th in 1996.

Dikebuka:
I will give it to the legendary Mikel....Mikel played two opposing roles but it never reduced his performance.. He was playing Holding Midfield for Chelsea and Central Midfield for Nigeria but it did not stop him from performance.

He modified the Makalele role.
crucial in grinding out result and even indirectly played foundation for Simeone's negative football stuff.

Even at 32 he was a performer for Trabzonsporwho wia topping the league.

Kanu is an attacker can be replaced easily in a team but Mikel is a Midfielder that can be replaced easily in a team

What was the modification is I may ask please? Makalele was a deep holding midfielder, who was always shy of going toward, he scored very few goal (I'm not sure it's even up to 5), same with Mikel. Mikel was also a holding midfielder (in Chelsea), who was also shy of going toward and scored very few goals. So what is the modification that Mikel did?
Now talking of Kanu been an attacker that was replaced easily, I don't understand?? Do You know the quality of attacking players Nigeria had during that active footballing days of Kanu? Yekini, Siasia, Akpoborie, Amokachi, Ahagowa, Martin's, Ikpeba. You think all these guys were moi moi abi? Let me be frank with you; Mikel never really had competition in the national team not becos he was too exceptional, but because during his peak, Nigerians didn't really have exceptional midfielders. Na Lukeman Haruna abi na Sunday Mba or Agu or onazi wan step up? Nigerian footballers were average when he came in so he had to shine.
Now that's in terms of quality. In terms of achievements, please look at the trophy statistics again before you talk. Kanu has more trophies than Mikel. The only thing he won that Kanu didn't win is Afcon. But Kanu has won every other thing Mikel has won, plus winning African best not once o, but twice. Just look at the stats again my brother.

For me I go with Jay Jay

I have 4 all time best but Kanu is the greatest in achievement.

Kanu all round best

Okocha all time most skillful

Yekini all time best striker and

Enyeama all time best keeper

It has to be Kanu and Mikel.

Kanu first, Mikel second.

Jokerman:
Acheivements wise,in terms of what we won

1. Nwankwo Kanu (won Africa best player twice)

2. Mikel Obi

3. Emmanuel Amuneke

In terms of talents

1. Jay Jay okocha

2. Nwankwo Kanu

3. Rashidi Yekini

In terms of talent, who would you rate higest? Messi or Ronaldo?

UdechiHD:
I’m tempted to pick Nwankwo Kanu. But looking deep with a sincere heart, I give it to John Obi Mikel.
The African Best that eluded him in 2013 is still painful till this day. Francophone politics denied Obi that award, but only God knows why?

In terms of achievement both club and country nobody even comes close to Mikel...that's fact and stats.

ValCon888:
Raahidi Yekini
Most Ballon D'Or winners are strikers because goals win games. And Rashidi Yekini remains the greatest striker Nigeria has ever had.
If you want to argue, argue with yourself.

Of course. As a striker you must have almost everything
- football intelligence
-strength
-speed to some extent
-some little skill to manipulate defenders
-ball control (vert important esp when on high speed)
-shot accuracy

Jokerman:


Okocha overrated??
Maradona overrated??

You see why people always attack you Messi indomie fans...

You think if Messi and Ronaldo played football in the time of such players, they'd have up to 5 ballondors??

For you to call maradona overrated shows the kind of person you Messi fans are, only Messi isn't overrated... A maradona that lifted a Napoli to league titles winning best player and golden boot along the way... A maradona that put Argentina on the football map?

Alright Messi is the only non overrated player in the world

Okocha overrated? Really??
A master of midfield that carried a dead Bolton team playing with unskilled players like Davies and Jameel etc??
A midfield maestro that combined skills with dribbles even inventing his own step overs.. A great passer of the ball, freekicks, shoot technique... Really?

Stop quoting that guy. He's not a Nigerian. Na pepper eye dey do am.

Jokerman:


Lol... Maradona a fraud??

Someone that raised a dead Napoli?

Someone that won world cup golden ball??

Someone who wasn't a forward and still scored that amount of goals??

Maradonna rely on drugs for speed have you forgotten hand of God?

Kanu Nwankwo Significant Football Titles and Individual Awards

Clubs:
Ajax: Eredivisie winner 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, UEFA Champions League winner 1995, UEFA Super Cup winner 1995, Intercontinental Cup winner 1995
Inter Milan: UEFA Cup winner 1998
Arsenal: Premier League winner 2001–02, 2003–04, FA Cup winner 2002, 2003, FA Community Shield winner: 1999
Portsmouth: FA Cup winner 2008
Country:
Nigeria: Olympic Gold Medal 1996, 2000 African Cup of Nations Runners-up (Bronze).
Individual Honors:
African Footballer of the Year 1996, 1999, BBC African Footballer of the Year 1997, 1999

theowane:
What was the modification is I may ask please? Makalele was a deep holding midfielder, who was always shy of going toward, he scored very few goal (I'm not sure it's even up to 5), same with Mikel. Mikel was also a holding midfielder (in Chelsea), who was also shy of going toward and scored very few goals. So what is the modification that Mikel did?
Now talking of Kanu been an attacker that was replaced easily, I don't understand?? Do You know the quality of attacking players Nigeria had during that active footballing days of Kanu? Yekini, Siasia, Akpoborie, Amokachi, Ahagowa, Martin's, Ikpeba. You think all these guys were moi moi abi? Let me be frank with you; Mikel never really had competition in the national team not becos he was too exceptional, but because during his peak, Nigerians didn't really have exceptional midfielders. Na Lukeman Haruna abi na Sunday Mba or Agu or onazi wan step up? Nigerian footballers were average when he came in so he had to shine.
Now that's in terms of quality. In terms of achievements, please look at the trophy statistics again before you talk. Kanu has more trophies than Mikel. The only thing he won that Kanu didn't win is Afcon. But Kanu has won every other thing Mikel has won, plus winning African best not once o, but twice. Just look at the stats again my brother.

you just dey lump players of different generations together..aghahowa and yekini? Abi na martins and amokachi? Ikpeba, yekini and amokachi played in a different generation from kanu.

robosky02:


Top 10 Moments in Mikel’s International Career for Nigeria
T




1. The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
John Mikel Obi, in 2005, represented the Nigeria under-20 team at the fifteenth edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, where he finished the tournament as the second-best player, behind Lionel Messi, winning the Silver Ball award. Nigeria was the runner-up to Argentina, and Mikel first came to limelight in that tournament, after putting up a number of captivating performances for the team. The Championship was held between June 10 and July 2, 2005, in the Netherlands, and since then his popularity has grown both in Nigeria and on the international scene.

2.Mikel Obi moments - Under 20 World Cup
Joining the Super Eagles
Riding on the back of his dazzling display in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, a couple of months later, specifically on August 17, he debuted for the Nigeria senior team when he featured as a sub in the second half in a 1–0 friendly win over the Mediterranean Knights of Libya. That was the genesis of his international career in the Super Eagles.

3.Top mikel obi moments - National Team
First Goal for Senior Team during First AFCON Campaign
After that outing, Mikel Obi did not play for the national team again before being invited for the 2006 AFCON for the first time, which was hosted by Egypt. Interestingly, he would end his career for the Super Eagles on this same Egyptian soil. In that tournament, Mikel was an unused sub in Nigeria’s first group game against the Black Stars of Ghana. But he was introduced into the 2nd game vs. Zimbabwe in the 2nd half. Within 10 minutes of joining the game, Mikel had supplied the corner, which led to Christian Obodo scoring a header (as the game’s opener), and he (Mikel) also scored the second goal for the Eagles.

4. First International Start for the Super Eagles
Still in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, he got his first international start in the last group game for Nigeria, where the team recorded a 2–1 victory over their fellow West African side, Senegal. In the following year, Mikel Obi got suspended from all Nigerian national teams when the then Super Eagles manager, Berti Vogts, excluded his name from the team’s squad that would represent the country in the AFCON qualifier against Niger. He was dropped because he failed to show up for their previous match against Uganda. Though he cited an injury, due to his failure to make himself available for an independent check by Nigerian officials, Mikel was left out of the squad. This, coupled with his refusal to join the Nigerian under-23 team, caused his suspension by the NFF (Nigeria Football Federation).

5. He Scored a Crucial Goal in a Key AFCON Game
After he tendered an apology, John Mikel Obi was invited to join the national squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which was held in Ghana. At that event, he put up a series of dazzling performances, scoring one goal and recording one assist in a crucial match against Benin, which saw the Super Eagles advance to the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, Nigeria lost that match (2–1) against the hosts, Ghana.

6. A Key Figure in Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON Winning Team
At the 2013 AFCON, held in South Africa, Mikel made valuable contributions as Nigeria won the tournament, defeating Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final to secure their third continental title. The Super Eagles then went on to represent CAF in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where he was named by CAF in the team of the tournament, in addition to 4 other teammates — Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses, Efe Ambrose, and Vincent Enyeama. One of the best Mikel Obi moments in the national team.


7. Mikel Obi winning the AFCON 2013
A MOTM Performance in His World Cup Debut
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil, Mikel made his debut and earned a man of the match (MOTM) award in Nigeria’s opening match in the tournament against Iran. He was also instrumental in the Super Eagles reaching the knockout stage for the first time since the 1998 edition.

Just a video of John Mikel Obi doing Paul Pogba dirty. �

Good bye Captain! ���#SuperEagles #TBThursdaypic.twitter.com/mFBZDvx4lS

— .♛. (@theCyberNewt) July 18, 2019
8 Captain of the 2016 Olympic Team
John Obi Mikel was named in the 35-man provisional squad for Nigeria for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and he later became captain of the Olympics squad. During the tournament, on August 13, 2016, he scored a goal — his first ever in the Olympics — as Nigeria triumphed over Denmark (with a 2–0 win) to qualify for the semi-final. But they lost 2–0 to Germany.



9. Winning His First Olympic Medal
After the Super Eagles’ defeat to Germany, they won the bronze medal on becoming victorious in the third-place match against Honduras 3–2, which was played on August 20. Mikel played a crucial role in that encounter, and the whole tournament, helping Nigeria secure the bronze medal. Nigeria then became the first-ever country to secure all 3 medals at the Olympic Games: First with the 1996 squad that won the gold, then with 2008 squad that clinched the silver, and third with the 2016 bronze-winning team. One of the best Mikel Obi moments in the national team and one he is personally proud of.

10. Top mikel obi moments
Helped Nigeria Qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
In a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Desert Warriors of Algeria, Mikel Obi scored a goal and registered an assist, as he helped his then Chelsea teammate Victor Moses score in a 3–1 victory.

Jersey numbers, 3,9,18 compared to the laurels

None for now