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FootballMikel Obi Opens Up After Meeting Former Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson
- Mikel Obi has stated that the legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has eventually forgiven him
- The former Nigerian international was on the verge of joining Manchester United before the deal was hijacked by Chelsea
- Mikel went on to agree to a deal with the Blues despite attending a press conference in Manchester United kits earlier
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Former Chelsea defensive midfielder Mikel Obi has claimed that legendary former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has forgiven him.
Mikel was enmeshed in one of the most twisted transfer scandals in footballing history prior to his move to the English Premier League.
In 2005, it seemed Manchester United had snapped up the Nigerian from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo as the England giants had already announced the move.
Mikel had earlier attended a press conference and was pictured in a Manchester United shirt before the deal surprisingly broke down.
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The player then went on to join Chelsea, claiming he was pressured into the move. In 2006, Mikel told Sky Sports News:
“I signed a contract with Manchester United and I didn’t do that of my own free will.
“I was put under a lot of pressure to do that. I was denied advice from my agent and people I trust and I didn’t get much time to think about that.
“I did something I did not want to do. Because of the pressure from Mr Morgan (Andersen, Lyn’s sporting director) and a representative of United, it became too much."
At the time, it was gathered that Ferguson was planning to fly into Norway to complete the deal, only for the legendary tactician to cancel his trip after learning that Mikel had gone missing from training with his Norwegian club.
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FootballEventually, the player sealed a deal with Chelsea and went on to spend 11 trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge.
Several years later, Mikel said he feared meeting Ferguson on the touchline.
And when they eventually met each other, the retired Scottish manager had a dreadful look on his face.
Mikel, now 37, was pictured with Ferguson at Wembley, where both of them attended the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
On his Instagram post, Mikel shared a picture of himself with Ferguson with the caption, “He has forgiven me.”
Mikel Apologises to Ronaldo
Sports Brief earlier reported that Mikel apologised to Cristiano Ronaldo for a recent 'quote' that went viral across the social media space.
The former Chelsea midfielder reportedly said Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, and some others were much better than Ronaldo in the Premier League.
Mikel Obi attracted criticism for an apparent claim that the Portuguese veteran was not among the top 10 greatest players in the English top flight.