Mikel Obi Finally Speaks on Why He Ignored Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United for Chelsea

• Mikel Obi was enmeshed in a transfer saga between English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea in 2005
• The former Lyn of Oslo star was on the verge of joining the Red Devils before the Blues snapped him up
• Mikel has now opened up on what prompted him to move to the London outfit

Former Nigerian international Mikel Obi has opened up on his infamous transfer saga between English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea.

Shortly before the 2005 FIFA U20 World Cup, Mikel was said to have had an agreement with the Old Trafford side, but somehow, he ended up joining the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The playmaker helped Nigeria finish as runners-up at the tournament after losing to South American powerhouse Argentina in the final.

Mikel was voted the tournament’s second-best player, behind Lionel Messi, while Taye Taiwo won the bronze ball.

A list of Muslim footballers who converted to Christianity

Football

In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Mikel claimed he chose to join the ‘Blues’ because he wanted a team he could create history with.

“For me, it was about creating my own history because, obviously, United were the biggest club. It was really how I felt. I looked at both clubs, and, you know, United had won so much.

“So, I needed to go somewhere where I could create history with the players. Back then as well, they had the likes of Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, and other African players going to Chelsea.

“For me, I looked at that and was like, ‘OK, where am I going to feel more comfortable and where am I going to create my own history?'”

Mikel played a total of 372 games for the London club in 11 years and won 11 major titles, including the Champions League and two Premier League titles.

Eden Hazard: What Belgian superstar said about Mohamed Salah in 2019

Football

Mikel hails Jose Mourinho

Sports Brief earlier reported that Mikel Obi spoke about his relationship with Portuguese manager, Jose Mourinho during his time in England with Chelsea.

Under Mourinho, Mikel Obi played 119 games for the London side in two different spells and was one of the Portuguese manager's most trusted players.

Mikel Obi described the current AS Roma boss as a 'sore loser' who would always brood whenever an important match was lost but would be best of friends with his if everything was going fine and the team was winning.