Former Chelsea and Nigerian national team star, John Mikel Obi, has sparked debate among football fans after naming his former teammate, Didier Drogba, as the greatest African footballer of all time.
In a surprising move, Mikel bypassed a host of legends, including Mohamed Salah, Jay-Jay Okocha, Samuel Eto’o, Riyad Mahrez, and even George Weah, the only African Ballon d’Or winner.
Mikel’s selection came during an interview on the Obi One Podcast, where he participated in an elimination-style question session with GOAL. Faced with choosing between pairs of African football icons, Mikel’s journey to crowning Drogba began with a series of difficult decisions.
He first chose Yaya Toure over Jay-Jay Okocha, citing Toure’s numerous achievements. Then, he selected Mohamed Salah over Riyad Mahrez. In subsequent rounds, he picked George Weah over Samuel Eto’o, and Didier Drogba over Sadio Mane.
The semi-finals saw Drogba pitted against Weah, and Salah against Toure. Mikel, who shared a successful Chelsea career with Drogba, couldn’t deny his former teammate.
He also chose Toure over Salah, setting up a final showdown between two Ivorian giants.
The final decision came down to Drogba and Toure.
“Oh my God, I played with him for so many years and we won everything together, so I have to go with Didier,” Mikel explained.
The statistics back up Mikel’s sentiment. He and Drogba played together in 189 matches for Chelsea, winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, four FA Cups, and two Premier League titles. This shared history clearly played a significant role in Mikel’s ultimate decision.
