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Mikel displaying the Olympic Bronze Medal |
In an interview with Chelsea fc, John Mikel Obi relates his experience at the just concluded Rio Olympics, where the Nigerian team against all odds won bronze medal and concludes despite the ugly experience, the tournament remains his most memorable.
The Chelsea midfielder
captained Nigeria to its sole Olympic medal last month, turning in a series
of heroic displays to the delight of the nation, eventually helping them beat
Honduras 3-2 in the bronze medal match.
Mikel returned to Cobham at the end of
the Games, only to then go on full international duty with his country to complete
the qualifying campaign for January’s African Cup of Nations, a tournament
Nigeria failed to qualify for.
Despite that
disappointment, it has been a summer to remember for one of our longest-serving
players.
A tough build-up meant
the Nigerian footballers only flew into Brazil on the day of its first group
match in Manaus, but after coming through a group involving Japan, Sweden and
Colombia, they advanced past Denmark in the quarter-finals before being edged
out by Germany, going on to beat Honduras to claim the bronze.
Now back at Cobham and
training with the squad as we prepare to face Swansea.
Mikel, welcome back.
Tell us about the summer…
‘I hadn't played in an
Olympics before, I missed out in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 we didn't qualify
for London, so I spoke to the club and got their permission to go. It was an
amazing experience to play with the Under-23s and lead the team, being the captain
of the nation leading it to Rio. I’m very, very proud.
‘As a footballer you
probably only get one opportunity to play in the Olympics, it was a great
experience and the Brazilian fans were amazing too. They supported us all the
way and wanted us to do well, to make the final. It was one of the best
tournaments I've had.’
As the squad’s
foremost player and one of only two aged over 23, you must have been something
of a father figure to your younger team-mates?
‘Yes, it was amazing.
Leading the team not just in football but athletics, basketball, everything,
was amazing for me. What an honour to be able to do that, and to represent my
country is something I’m always proud of.
‘The boys were
absolutely amazing and I hope to see them all playing at the top level soon.’
The team had problems
in the build-up, to do with financing. What happened in your training camp in
the US?
‘It wasn't a great
experience in the build-up in Atlanta. There was no food for the guys, no bus
to go to training, no pitch to train on.
‘Coming into the team
I tried to help as much as I can. The boys had suffered for two years, working
very hard trying to play in Rio. I wanted to help as much as I could and they
all say they owe me. It’s a great achievement that we managed to go there and
win a medal.’
Your relationship with
Samson Siasia, the coach, must have helped?
‘We have known each
other for a long time. We know how to communicate with each other and it made
for a good atmosphere with the rest of the team on the training pitch. We tried
to calm the players, make them see the bigger picture and not let external
things influence us.
That first game
against Japan was a roller coaster. What happened around that 5-4 win?
‘It was a crazy one!
We just came off the plane two or three hours before the game, went to the
hotel, put our bags down, ate and headed straight to the stadium. Not the
typical match preparation. So it was a crazy game, lots of goals, and one we
were very happy to win though. To go from there and win the second game helped
us settle into the tournament.’
And you found the net
with a tidy finish against Denmark in the quarter-final…
‘I always do when I
play for the national team! I tend to push a bit further forward and express
myself a little bit more, so there is more responsibility to create chances,
and if I can get one or two goals here and there it’s great.’
Defeat to Germany and
then the bronze medal match against Honduras. Where does it sit in comparison
to your other career achievements?
‘It ranks up there.
Obviously the Champions League is the Champions League and winning the African
Nations and Premier League are massive, but this is up there with those
trophies. I can’t express how proud and happy I am to have achieved this.
‘The reception at home was great. The Nigerian
people were very happy, it was the only medal we won and they were very proud.