There is a secret that Leicester midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, has been keeping to his chest. This is the secret of what happened the first day he had to play with more seasoned Mikel Obi on the pitch. According to him, he so much revered him that he (Ndidi) could not tackle or talk to him.
Ndidi says in an online engagement with and: Nigeria international, Ndidi says he first came across Obi Mikel five years ago at a national team camp. According to Ndidi, Nigerians don’t appreciate ‘legends’ like Mikel as much as he deserves.
Speaking about Mikel in an online Q&A, Ndidi said: “I was nervous when I first met him in Belgium. I couldn’t take a picture with him, I was scared. Even for training, I couldn’t be close to him and tackle him.
“Mikel is a legend that we do not appreciate enough. He is a big name and a legend. The first time I couldn’t talk to him at all.
“Only if there was a conversation going on that I could join in. I couldn’t talk to him on a one on one basis.”
Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004. In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him. He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years, before moving to China with Tianjin TEDA in 2017. After two years in China, he returned to England on a short-term deal with Middlesbrough, before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2019. In a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, he played 88 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.
Mikel was born in Jos, Plateau State,; the son of Michael Obi, who runs an inter-state transport company in Jos.[5] His father was a member of the Igbo ethnic group.
He started his football career at the age of 12 when picked as a talented footballer from over 3,000 young talents to play in Pepsi Football Academy, a team that at the time was well known for travelling across Nigeria scouting young footballers with the potential to play professionally.
