Nigeria captain John Mikel Obi is looking forward to winning his second Africa Cup of Nations title with the Super Eagles as he flaunts his trophy cabinets on the social media ahead of the tournament in Egypt, reports Completesports.com.
Mikel was part of the Super Eagles team that conquered the rest of the continent in 2013 in South Africa.
He also won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, English Premier League and FA Cup witj Chelsea, as well as other individual awards in his illustrious career.
The 32-year-old is expected to lead a Super Eagles side that will be returning to the AFCON finals after failing to qualify for the last two editions in Egypt.
Mikel took to the social media to express his desire of winning more trophies, with a short message underneath a video showing his trophy/medal cabinets.
“Space left for few more😊,” Mikel posted on his Instagram page.
The Super Eagles will face Burundi in their first Group B game of Egypt 2019 on June 22.
Gernot Rohr’s charges will then come up against Guinea and Madagascar on June 26 and June 30 respectively.
By Adeboye Amosu
6 Comments
Well, if the Super Eagles win this Afcon, Mikel would become the only Nigerian to have won the Afcon TWICE AS A PLAYER.
Many players in the outstanding 1994 team actually had the opportunity to win it 4 times. Players like Okocha, Amuneke, Finidi, Oliseh, Amokachi, etc. They took the first opportunity in 1994. The last opportunity in 2000 failed to materialize, as they were beaten fair and square by Cameroun in one of the most intriguing Afcon finals ever. However, the opportunities in between, 1996 and 1998, were lost, thanks to our former president who was famous for his huge, dark spectacles. Which African team could have stood against us in 1996, the year we won the Olympics? But thanks to President ABA, we pulled out of the 1996 Afcon,and thus missed out. If you add CHA, na you sabi. In retaliation, CAF banned Nigeria from the 1998 edition, a tournament Nigeria could also have won as we were the dominant side in Africa then. So once again, thanks to President ABA, we missed out again. If you add CHA, na you sabi. That is the story of how Nigeria in the 1990s grabbed a shotgun and spectacularly blasted herself in the foot twice, football wise. Instead of 3 Afcons, we should have maybe 5 Afcons in our kitty right now.
Pompei, i remember ooo. The fat short spectactled man really dealt with of our football negatively. We are still feeling the impact up till now. E no go better for ABA (if you like you add CHA) where ever he is. Like you said we would have won at least an extra 2 trophies.
….hahahaha…The short man with dark spectacles aka short man devil…lolz
_Sports and Politics – strange bedfellows_
Pompei, in 1996, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces pulled Nigeria out of the Afcon at unarguably the worst possible time for such a move (not that any time is good for such!).
If that was done in 2006, with all due respect to Yakubu, Obafemi Martins and Co.,it would have been less damaging.
If it was done in 2016, with all due respect Ighalo, Mikel and Co., it would have been less damaging.
But in 1996!!!!! At the height of our greatness in global football, the peak of our achievements in reaching the world cup and only seconds away from knocking out Italy only 2 years before!
Only 2 years before we were top 10 in Fifa rankings.
Now you see why they say: “sports and politics should never mix!!!!”
Though Mkkel might not have been part of the AFCON qualifier yet he has been included in the Eagles’ preliminary list for the Egypt showpiece; this inclusion ordinarily would have raised eyebrows in the media and among soccer fans in the past but surprisingly it was receieved amid cheers and admiration, an indication of how much his soccer skills and enterprise are valued among soccer fans.