WITH ADEBAYO OLODAN
When John Obi Mikel decided in the January transfer window to join Championship club, Middlesbrough after cancelling his contract with his Chinese club, I was one of the numerous Nigerians to have condemned the move.
My condemnation stemmed from the fact that Mikel given his accomplishment in the round leather game and at only 31, deserves a better club in Europe. Before he finally settled for Boro, I am aware no fewer than four Premiership clubs and six others across Europe showed interest in the former Lyn Oslo and Chelsea midfielder.
However, barely one month after Mikel joined the Championship club, he has suddenly turned the beautiful bride in the league and Boro fans are beginning to dream of a return to the Premiership.
The Super Eagles skipper who many have tagged a lazy player who does not break sweat has continued to win admiration from Boro supporters with his deft touches, passes and dribbles.
At the moment, Mikel appeared like a player strolling around the Championship in his smoking jacket and slippers, making the rest of the league look amateur.
He has been such an excellent player at the Riverside that the supporters of the club have named him African Zidane and Midfield King. Some supporters, young and old have also described the player’s performance as ‘Rolls Royce’.
Mikel’s replica jersey and other paraphernalia in his name have been the most items purchased by fans of the club in stores.
Supporters of the club have refused to hide their feelings about their new saviour and best buy in decades as they have composed special chant song in Mikel’s name and some of them have also taken to the social media to express their delight about the development.
In appreciation of the player, a Middlesbrough fan simply identified as Ryan on his twitter account@Ryanboro99 wrote; “Having John Obi Mikel is a cheat code in the Championship, no midfielder can touch him.
Another Boro fan, Wayne Burnett through the same platform said, “We’ve got Mikel, John Obi Mikel, I just don’t think you understand. The midfield man, the African Zidane, oh we’ve got John Obi Mikel.”
For John Conroy, he was surprised how Mikel decided to put pen on paper for a less fancied side like Middlesbrough.
“Seriously, how have we got John Obi Mikel in a Boro shirt here, he is absolutely sensational,” he tweeted.
For the 12 years he spent at Stamford Bridge, Mikel never earned such chanting praises. Middlesbrough supporters call him their African Zidane and their midfield king. Regardless of Mikel playing in the Championship, the Riverside fans rate him better than Jorginho + Ross Barkley + Mateo Kovacic.
Interestingly, the Super Eagles captain is yet to attain full match fitness given that for several weeks, he was inactive as he sustained a long term injury before severing his relationship with his club in China.
Mikel appeared to have rediscovered himself, 14 years after he wowed the soccer world with his football artistry at the U-20 World Cup in Holland.
The player appeared to have chosen the right time to hit form with the 2019 African Nations Cup in Egypt just four months away.
For the Super Eagles to win its fourth Nations Cup title, Mikel is very central as the leader of the team and as the creative spark in Gernot Rohr’s squad. One area that the senior national team has suffered greatly is not having a leader who the younger players look up to for direction and inspiration.
With Mikel on the pitch, it is likely that the gaffer will get improved performance from young players like Wilfred Onyinye Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, Moses Simon, William Troost-Ekong and goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.
On whether Mikel merited being described as the African Zidane, well though the Nigerian is far from attaining the class of the Frenchman, I however believe the supporters should not be faulted for rating their mercurial midfielder in the same breath as the World Cup winner after all some of them have not seen such an awesome player turn out in a Boro shirt.
At the moment, it is important the Super Eagles skipper retain his form in the English lower leagues and stay away from injuries especially now that he has unfiltered access to his Russian wife, Olga Diyachenko and twin daughters.
