- Mikel Obi has stirred up a storm of outrage, especially among Nigerians, after controversially choosing Yaya Touré over his compatriot Jay-Jay Okocha in a recent Q&A session.
- His other selections in head-to-head matchups featuring African football giants like Eto’o, Weah, Drogba, Salah, and Mané only intensified the backlash.
- Many fans accused him of bias, questioning not just his loyalty but also his football acumen, with some insisting he has lost touch with the game’s true legends.
Nigerian football legend John Obi Mikel has set tongues wagging with his choices while ranking Africa’s greatest-ever footballers during Goal’s Knockout show.
Right out of the gate, Mikel made a bold statement by picking his former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba over Senegalese superstar Sadio Mané, currently dazzling in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr.
Perhaps the most contentious moment came when Mikel, in the viral video, had to choose between his fellow Nigerian, the mercurial Jay-Jay Okocha, and Ivorian midfield powerhouse Yaya Touré.
He hesitated, clearly recognizing Okocha’s genius, but ultimately sided with Touré, justified his decision to by saying, “For what he achieved, Yaya Toure”
Liverpool legends Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Cameroonian icon Samuel Etoo were among the elite names that didn’t make his final selection.
In the end, Mikel, whose career was filled with silverware at Chelsea, crowned his former teammate Didier Drogba as the greatest African footballer of all time, Yaya Touré coming second, favored them over Liberian icon George Weah, the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner.
“I played with him for so many years, we won everything together, so I have to go with Didier,” Mikel explained.
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His selections, once they surfaced online, triggered widespread backlash, especially among Nigerians. Many were outraged at his preference for Touré over Okocha, a player celebrated for his mesmerizing skill.
Others accused him of sentimentality, believing his choices were shaped more by personal ties than by footballing legacy—particularly in picking Drogba and Touré over a history-making legend like Weah.
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