Mikel Profile, Biography

Mikel Obi

Name:	Mikel
Nationality:	Nigerian
Date of Birth:	22/04/1987
Height:	6' 2" (188cm)
Weight:	13st 8lbs (86.0kg)
Previous
Clubs:	Lyn Oslo
Position:	Midfielder

Injury to Michael Essien in 2009/10 ensured that for the second season running John Mikel Obi was the manager's primary choice as deep-lying midfielder. On his return from the Africa Cup of Nations in February, he started every game until his own knee and ankle problems in mid-April ruled him out of the season's two-trophy climax, and the first African World Cup Finals.
In the opening games, Carlo Ancelotti accommodated both Mikel and Essien, the latter playing further forward in a diamond formation, before rotation begun. At Fulham an uncharacteristic shot from 25 yards that flew just inches wide was as close as Mikel came to scoring all season.
At Wigan in late September as the team's perfect start to the season ended in 3-1 defeat, the Nigerian suffered ankle damage which ruled him out for two months.
His second match back was a tough one - away in Porto against a team traditionally strong at home. Chelsea won 1-0.
'The defence is in a good moment because the midfield in front is working very well and today Mikel did a fantastic match,' Ancelotti said afterwards and retained the player for the big win at Arsenal that followed, although then left him on the bench for the first hour of defeat at Man City.
In December's run of narrow league wins and draws Mikel was involved in every game without playing a single full 90 minutes.
In the Africa Cup of Nations Nigeria were a surprise package, eventually losing to an Essien-less Ghana in the semi-finals. For Mikel there was an unfamiliar role of playmaker just behind the Nigeria strikers.
When the 23-year-old returned to Chelsea, there was a fresh impetus to his game. He enjoyed one of his best spells of form yet with enterprising long passing in evidence - culminating in a wonderful assist for Didier Drogba to score at Portsmouth.
At home to Arsenal in February he played his 150th Chelsea game and by the end of the season had his first league championship winners' medal, although he missed the final three league games and the FA Cup Final. Initially injured by a Kevin Davies foul against Bolton, he broke down a week later at Tottenham, an injury that would eventually deprive him of his first World Cup.
Mikel's own on-pitch discipline problems are long behind him. He was only booked four times in a campaign spent in a highly-competitive area of the pitch.
Ancelotti has revealed he was a similar player in a similar position in his youth and predicts much to come from his player whose first Chelsea campaign was 2006/07.
Mikel became a squad addition the summer after Chelsea had secured a second straight league title. An agreement had been reached with Manchester United and Norwegian club Lyn Oslo that allowed Chelsea to sign the then 19-year-old Nigerian midfielder for a combined £16 million.
A powerfully-built young man, with exceptional ball skills, his standing as one of the brightest young talents in the game had been confirmed at the African Cup of Nations earlier that year, his senior international debut having come in August 2005.
Previously Mikel had starred in the 2005 Fifa U-20 World Youth Championships where he was voted the tournament's second best player as Nigeria made the final. The player trained with Chelsea for one week in the winter of 2004 and José Mourinho had seen enough to wish to sign him.
The then manager said: 'Everybody was in love, not just me. The players were amazed at a young boy coming and training with us with such quality.
'Later we saw him in the African Cup of Nations playing like a giant. He was at an unbelievable level and we know what a player he can be.'
Following on from the transfer of Kalou the same summer, the arrival of Mikel confirmed Chelsea's determination to add exciting young talent as well as established stars to the squad.
Having smoothed out some rough edges both on and off the pitch, Mourinho increasingly used Mikel's talent in the holding midfield role, especially when requiring a long range of passing.
Named Chelsea Young Player of the Year, he survived an injury scare the week before the 2007 FA Cup Final win to play the whole game.
His 2007/08 campaign saw Mikel continue to grow in the 'Makelele' role, and by the end of it he had played more games than the old master of the position.
There were hitches. An unfortunate sending off at Old Trafford in Avram Grant's first game was followed by another red card in a Carling Cup semi-final against Everton, his fourth since joining Chelsea.
African Nations duty rendered the subsequent suspension irrelevant and although for Nigeria generally, it was an unremarkable tournament in Ghana, Mikel was their outstanding performer.
He started the 2008 Carling Cup Final shortly after his return but then spent a spell out of the side before ending with responsibility in some important games, including the home win over Manchester United, when he was outstanding.
Such displays became more commonplace in the 2008/09 season when, with Essien injured for much of the campaign, Mikel became the permanent anchor man, his calm touch especially prominent in a major contribution to the 2009 FA Cup win.
A model of measured consistency, he started the season in superb form, and went on to win the Etihad Airways Chelsea Player of the Month award for December.
The one thing lacking from the midfielder's game is goals, much like his former mentor Makelele.
Two in his first season, both FA Cup goals in the January of 2007 against lower league opposition, have not been added to since, though as he says, there are plenty of others in the midfield who can contribute goals, allowing him to concentrate on stopping them.

Season 2010 - 11

Competition	Apps (as sub)	Goals	Yellow Cards	Red Cards
League	9  (0)	0	2	0
Euro Cups	3  (0)	0	1	0

Career History:
Club	Season	Comp.	Apps (as sub)	Goals
Chelsea	2009 - 10	League	21  (4)	0
		FA Cup	3  (0)	0
		League Cup	2  (0)	0
		Euro Cups	4  (0)	0
Chelsea	2008 - 09	League	33  (1)	0
		FA Cup	5  (0)	0
		League Cup	0  (1)	0
		Euro Cups	9  (0)	0
Chelsea	2007 - 08	League	21  (8)	0
		FA Cup	2  (0)	0
		League Cup	3  (0)	0
		Euro Cups	1  (3)	0
Chelsea	2006 - 07	League	10  (12)	0
		FA Cup	5  (1)	2
		League Cup	3  (1)	0
		Euro Cups	6  (3)	0
Lyn Oslo	2005 - 06	League	2  (0)	0
Lyn Oslo	2004 - 05	League	4  (0)	1