MATURE MIKEL'S WINNING HABIT IN NEW MAG

MATURE MIKEL'S WINNING HABIT IN NEW MAG

The latest edition of Chelsea is an international special, as the
magazine looks back on a successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign for
Nigeria with the help of John Mikel Obi, as well as looking ahead to
the forthcoming friendly between Brazil and Russia at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel has more medals and trophies on his mantelpiece at the age of 25
than most players are able to

gather over the course of their whole
careers.

Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Mikel has tasted success in
all of them, but the midfielder went one better back in January and
added a trophy at international level to his ever-expanding
collection, when Nigeria were crowned Kings of Africa.

The Super Eagles beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final of the competition
after overcoming Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast in the semi-final, and
Mikel was astonished at the reaction of supporters back in his
homeland.

'It was crazy,' he tells Chelsea. 'It was really nice to go back home
after the tournament with the cup - the whole country was waiting.

'It was a big, big thing, because we couldn't walk, we couldn't
actually get out of the airport. The whole way through, from the
airport to the hotel where we were staying, it was crazy.'

Mikel, somewhat unsurprisingly given his experience at club level, was
an ever-present during the tournament, playing, as he does for
Nigeria, in a slightly more advanced role than he is accustomed to at
Stamford Bridge.
A number of the younger, less established members of the squad sought
guidance from him as Nigeria continued to progress, and it was a role
he was happy to take on.

'Every major tournament makes you become more mature,' he said. 'I
think it's because I have played in so many major tournaments at such
a young age that I have maturity - you go through a hard time to win
tournaments and it makes you grow.

'It's a life experience and it's something that I have been lucky
enough to do from a young age at Chelsea as well, where I have played
alongside some of the best players in the world and I've learnt a lot
from them.'

African football continues to grow each year, and what gave Mikel most
satisfaction from Nigeria's success was lifting the trophy when the
competition was so fierce.

'The level has gone right up,' he explained. 'So to win it this time
was just amazing. To win it at a stage when African football has
become so interesting - when there are so many African players abroad
- was really, really difficult, and we did it.'

-Chelsea FC

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