EXCLUSIVE: Mikel grateful to Chelsea, proud of his feats at the club
John Obi Mikel who is one of longest serving Chelsea players having been at the club since 2007 told sportlineng the secret behind his illustrious career.
The newly appointed Super Eagles captain who has a total of 10 major winners’ medals (2 Premier League, 4 FA Cup, 2 Capital One cup, Europa League and Champions League) so far with Chelsea revealed what it takes to be a Chelsea player.
When asked how he’s been able to cope with the demand and pressure at Chelsea he said:”I think it is difficult, I think its a pressure that I have always embraced.
“Coming to Chelsea I knew the magnitude of the club, the expectations of the club, the expectation from the fans and the board to win trophies to make sure the club grow.
“I think in the past 10-12 years we’ve managed to do that, Chelsea is now a big club if you say not like the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona, we are now a big club in Europe to reckon with,” he said.
He went on to reveal the secret behind his success at Chelsea:” I think for me, winning trophies in Chelsea you need to have that winning mentality.
“We had it and we’ve always had the winning mentality with the likes of Lamps, Makalele and Drogba we want to win trophies, it was all about winning and winning.
“For me that’s what has been driving me, I want to win every game, the more you win every game the more your chances of winning titles”
MUNICH, GERMANY - MAY 19: (L-R) Raul Meireles, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard of Chelsea celebrate with the trophy after their victoryn in UEFA Champions League Final between FC Bayern Muenchen and Chelsea at the Fussball Arena Munchen on May 19, 2012 in Munich, Germany.
Mikel also had something to say about the present Chelsea players:”I think the new lads now, it will take them time to get into that mentality of I want to win, I want to win games.”
He was very proud of his contribution since he joined Chelsea as he spoke proudly about his feats at the club. He was grateful to the club for the opportunity to defend the club’s badge and his teammates for the opportunity to play and learn from them.
“I’ve played in all the cup finals, almost all of them the ones I didn’t play the FA Cup 2010, Europa League 2013, Capital One Cup 2015 because I was injured, so it wasn’t just that I was sitting on the bench and I won them, I actually did played.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity the club has given me and the players I played with as well for the opportunity that they’ve given me, for me to be able to play with them and learn from them and I am very proud of that.”