Mikel Obi snubs Salah, Okocha and others to name greatest African footballer
Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has ignored Mohammed Salah, Samuel Etoâo, Riyad Mahrez, and George Weah to name his choice of the greatest-ever African footballer, Soccernet.ng reports.
Mikel, who was a part of the Nigerian team that won the AFCON 2013 title in South Africa, has been on punditry duties on the Obi One Podcast since he retired from active football.
In an elimination-type interview with GOAL, the 37-year-old was quizzed about his preferred African player while the questions were presented with two players pitched against each other.
Mikel Obi [Photo credit/X]
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In the first round, Mikel was to choose between Didier Drogba and Sadio Mane, Samuel Etoâo and George Weah, Mohammed Salah and Riyad Mahrez, Jay-Jay Okocha and Yaya Toure.
âFor what he achieved, Iâd pick Yaya,â the former Lynn midfielder said.
African legends knockout with Mikel John Obi pic.twitter.com/jLnEs9qBsr
â GOAL (@goal) February 6, 2025
The former Super Eagles captain opted for Didier Drogba, George Weah, Mohammed Salah, and Yaya Toure.
UEFA Champions League Festival â London â Thursday 30th May UEFA ambassador Mikel John Obi with the UEFA Champions League trophy during an opening ceremony at Trafalgar Square on day one of the UEFA Champions League Festival in London. [Photo Credit/ Imago].Between Didier Drogba and George Weah, Mikel opted for his former teammate, while he chose Yaya Toure over Mohammed Salah.
The final standings pit Yaya Toure against Didier Drogba, and Mikel opted for the retired Ivorian striker.
âOh my God, I played with him for so many years and we won everything together, so I have to go with Didier,â the 2016 Olympic bronze winner concluded.
Chelsea Legends v Bayern Munich Legends, Legends Of Europe, Stamford Bridge Stadium, London, UK â 9th September 2023 John Mikel Obi of Chelsea Legends. [Photo Credit/Imago].Drogba and Mikel Obi played 189 games together, winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the English FA Cup four times, and the English Premier League twice.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.
With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.
He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.
