Mikel Obi Drops Last Words, Bows Out of Professional Football

Moronfoluwa Adedeji

Superstar Nigeria born footballer, John Obi Mikel has dropped his last words as he announce, retirement from professional football after 20 years of playing across countries and leagues.

Obi who doubles as a one time captain of the Nigeria Super Eagles announced the development in a post on his Instagram social handle on Tuesday.

Obi on his post claimed all good things that start will eventually come to an end. He said he reminisced how his career started in the last 20 years.

"All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, team-mates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans. You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.

"I will also like to encourage everyone who I may have inspired one way or the other in the course of my career to never give up on their dreams, for every time you think about quitting, remind yourself why you started.

"This is not goodbye, it’s the start of another journey, another chapter of my life. I look forward to what the future holds and I hope you will walk with me. Thank you.

"There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today,’ the post reads.

"I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape."

He retired at the age of 35 with laurels won for both clubs and country, including Nations Cup, and Champions League, among others.

Mikel started his career with a local club, Plateau United, before joining a Norwegian club, Lyn Oslo, at the age of 17 in 2004.

The Nigerian, who played a key role as Chelsea secured their first Champions League trophy in 2012, made the announcement on his personal Instagram account having most recently been with Kuwait SC.

During his period at Chelsea, Obi played as a midfielder; lifting every major honour, which included two Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Europa League, among others. He clocked up a mammoth 372 appearances with six (6) goals and thirteen (13) assists in Chelsea’s shirt.

On the international stage, Obi also enjoyed immense success as he won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 with Nigeria.