sabama007:


What makes Papilo betterment Mikel?

Drabeey:


LAYIWOLA SUMONDERE...


someone who has acheived this much, yet you typed this nonsense

where are those who they played that youth tournament together... mention another 3 apart from
messi
skrtel
fabregas

error4040:
lol African best footballer; on two occation

cheapgoals:
Agents are known for their unscrupulous conduct in football as the story of John Obi Mikel's protracted a controversial transfer move to Chelsea in 2006. The Former Chelsea midfielder revealed how a mysterious agent representing an anonymous club attempted to lure him to sign as a youngster with a briefcase loaded with money.

Mikel transfer was one of the most interesting transfer sagas in recent time, ending in a year-long court issue, leaving Manchester United losing the Lyn Oslo midfielder

John Obi Mikel was a youngster in demand 15 years back, he had just shone for Nigeria at the U17 World Cup, winning the Silver Ball award for the tournament's second best player after Lionel Messi.

Mikel speaking to 'The Sun', reveals one particular offer that was hard to turn down:

"I had agents promising me everything," he explained. “One approached me in the hotel with a briefcase full of cash.

“I can’t remember what club he claimed to represent — but I do remember the briefcase. “It was crammed with $70,000 (£53,000) and he offered me that to sign some contract before adding: ‘Sign here and you’ll get a lot more’. “I was temp­t­ed. I’d never seen so much money but I told the Nigerian FA secretary who was looking after me.

“He told me to ignore this agent but promised I would join the best club. After the tournament, I went home to my family and then saw the secretary again in Abuja

“That’s when he told me: ‘You’re going to United. They want you and you’re leaving tomorrow’.

“My dad was so happy but mum was crying because I was moving abroad at such a young age.”

Mikel had been called to Old Trafford by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson for a one-month trial and despite his tender age, he was thrown straight in at the deep end.

“I trained with the first team,” he recalled. “Roy Keane was my bodyguard “Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt always tried to kick me but couldn’t when Roy was there because he’d have killed them."

Mikel left a big impression on Ferguson, who was eager to snap up the youngster.

“Sir Alex called me Obi-Wan (after the Star Wars character)," Mikel stated.

“He called me into his office one day and said: ‘Obi-Wan, do you know what Keane, Scholes and all the senior players have told me? They said you have to sign that boy’.

“I couldn’t believe it. Here was I, a schoolkid from Africa, training with some of the best in the world.

“Sir Alex really liked me. He made me feel really comfortable and encouraged me every day.

“He would call me into his office after training, the point at the players’ plush cars in the car park and say: ‘If you work hard, next year you’ll be driving one of those. You are going to play for this club and you are going to be rich’.

“I didn’t know what to say. I was still at school so I didn’t even have an agent.

“I went home again and Sir Alex used to phone a hotel near our house when he wanted to speak to me.”

When United failed to get back with the player over a move, Mikel went about his life, briefly training with the Stamford Bridge outfit, before signing a professional contract with Norwegian side Lyn Oslo. That prompted a visit from Ferguson himself.

The whole thing was so confusing, “I thought I had something with Chelsea but United told me they had been looking for me and then Sir Alex visited me.

“He said: ‘We want you, we don’t want to lose you again’.

“Before I knew it, a contract had been sent to Lyn Oslo. United was offering me £1.5m for three years. I spoke to my dad, who told me I should just go for it."

Mikel signed a deal with United and was photographed wearing a United shirt, something which did not go down well at Stamford Bridge.

[b] “Chelsea saw it on TV and went crazy. I later discovered they had an agreement with Lyn Oslo not to sell me to any other club.

“Then John flew to Oslo to speak to me. My friends were calling me and then I thought, maybe I had been manipulated.

“All this was very hard for me. I was so young “We flew to London. I remember thinking: ‘I’ve signed for United but now I’m flying to Chelsea!’.”

A lengthy legal battle ensued between the two sides before a meeting organized by Roman Abramovich convinced Mikel that Chelsea was indeed the right place for him.

“Once there, Jose told me: ‘The boss really wants you. I’ll play you and make you what you want to be’. That really helped as there were times when I thought: ‘Have I made the right decision?’.”

“It was surreal,” admits Mikel. “I was at school but had Chelsea and Manchester United — two of the world’s biggest clubs — trying to sign me. I’ll never forget that second meeting with Sir Alex. I’d signed a deal at United but had to tell him: ‘Sorry, I want to play for Chelsea’.

“He really liked me but I could see how angry and disappointed he was.

“Some things he told me made me think about changing my mind but I was thinking about Jose, too.

“I had these two great managers wanting me and I did not know what to do.

“Fergie told me: ‘Why would you turn down United? It’s the biggest club in the world. You cannot do that. You have to say Yes. If it’s money, I can give you what you want’. “But it was never about the money.

“I had Barca waiting to pounce if the legal wrangle couldn’t be sorted, but felt obliged to sign for Chelsea as they’d looked after me.

“I heard nothing from United after my trials but Chelsea looked after me and my family. I had a loyalty to them.

“Sir Alex did shake my hand on one visit to Old Trafford. I remember what he said when asked how it felt to lose me: ‘He is still going to play for me one day’.”

Source : http://cheapgoals.com/an-agent-once-offered-me-70000-when-i-was-15-john-obi-mikel/

MasViews:
Former PRO Bench Warmers Association

sabama007:


That's individual accolade right

FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Ball: 2005
African Young Player of,, , Year: 2005, 2006::;:
Chelsea Young Player of th,e Year: 2007, 2008

EkanemAkan:

Won't say much, i love mikel, buh Aguero was there bruh, how bout zabaleta

GloriaNinja:
LONG STORY

coolshegs10:
Wow! This is really touching, 2 big clubs competing to sign a young guy.... I must make it in life, oyinbo will beg me to work for them.

hanassholesolo:



3 actually. Barcelona was waiting to snatch him if the legal battle didn't go down well. This wasn't luck.

coolshegs10:


Wow, that's incredible. But wait, if it wasn't luck wat was it?

PrecisionFx:






"" but mum was crying because I was moving abroad at such a young age.”"
.

error4040:

lol you are comparing african young player of the year with african Footballer of Year ?

Smh
ok kanu African footballer of the year 1996,1999
bbc african footballer of the year 1997,1999
and if you think awards as a team also join our lil argument kanu has medals from three diff leagues your mikel only? epl.
and lastly mikel can't boast of 20 Career goals, incase you want to say de played diff positions kindly Use Messi as your lab-rat

for Godsake mikel is NO where on kanu's level

pawesome:
Dt sperm insyd ma stomach beta b kicking befr it eventually enters dt gal cz u is goan b a footballer

faceURfront:
He didn't do badly at Chelsea, but when you remember how he played in that youth tournament, and how he played at Chelsea, you did think he would have been better suited at Manchester United.

cheapgoals:
Agents are known for their unscrupulous conduct in football as the story of John Obi Mikel's protracted a controversial transfer move to Chelsea in 2006. The Former Chelsea midfielder revealed how a mysterious agent representing an anonymous club attempted to lure him to sign as a youngster with a briefcase loaded with money.

Mikel transfer was one of the most interesting transfer sagas in recent time, ending in a year-long court issue, leaving Manchester United losing the Lyn Oslo midfielder

John Obi Mikel was a youngster in demand 15 years back, he had just shone for Nigeria at the U17 World Cup, winning the Silver Ball award for the tournament's second best player after Lionel Messi.

Mikel speaking to 'The Sun', reveals one particular offer that was hard to turn down:

"I had agents promising me everything," he explained. “One approached me in the hotel with a briefcase full of cash.

“I can’t remember what club he claimed to represent — but I do remember the briefcase. “It was crammed with $70,000 (£53,000) and he offered me that to sign some contract before adding: ‘Sign here and you’ll get a lot more’. “I was temp­t­ed. I’d never seen so much money but I told the Nigerian FA secretary who was looking after me.

“He told me to ignore this agent but promised I would join the best club. After the tournament, I went home to my family and then saw the secretary again in Abuja

“That’s when he told me: ‘You’re going to United. They want you and you’re leaving tomorrow’.

“My dad was so happy but mum was crying because I was moving abroad at such a young age.”

Mikel had been called to Old Trafford by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson for a one-month trial and despite his tender age, he was thrown straight in at the deep end.

“I trained with the first team,” he recalled. “Roy Keane was my bodyguard “Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt always tried to kick me but couldn’t when Roy was there because he’d have killed them."

Mikel left a big impression on Ferguson, who was eager to snap up the youngster.

“Sir Alex called me Obi-Wan (after the Star Wars character)," Mikel stated.

“He called me into his office one day and said: ‘Obi-Wan, do you know what Keane, Scholes and all the senior players have told me? They said you have to sign that boy’.

“I couldn’t believe it. Here was I, a schoolkid from Africa, training with some of the best in the world.

“Sir Alex really liked me. He made me feel really comfortable and encouraged me every day.

“He would call me into his office after training, the point at the players’ plush cars in the car park and say: ‘If you work hard, next year you’ll be driving one of those. You are going to play for this club and you are going to be rich’.

“I didn’t know what to say. I was still at school so I didn’t even have an agent.

“I went home again and Sir Alex used to phone a hotel near our house when he wanted to speak to me.”

When United failed to get back with the player over a move, Mikel went about his life, briefly training with the Stamford Bridge outfit, before signing a professional contract with Norwegian side Lyn Oslo. That prompted a visit from Ferguson himself.

The whole thing was so confusing, “I thought I had something with Chelsea but United told me they had been looking for me and then Sir Alex visited me.

“He said: ‘We want you, we don’t want to lose you again’.

“Before I knew it, a contract had been sent to Lyn Oslo. United was offering me £1.5m for three years. I spoke to my dad, who told me I should just go for it."

Mikel signed a deal with United and was photographed wearing a United shirt, something which did not go down well at Stamford Bridge.

[b] “Chelsea saw it on TV and went crazy. I later discovered they had an agreement with Lyn Oslo not to sell me to any other club.

“Then John flew to Oslo to speak to me. My friends were calling me and then I thought, maybe I had been manipulated.

“All this was very hard for me. I was so young “We flew to London. I remember thinking: ‘I’ve signed for United but now I’m flying to Chelsea!’.”

A lengthy legal battle ensued between the two sides before a meeting organized by Roman Abramovich convinced Mikel that Chelsea was indeed the right place for him.

“Once there, Jose told me: ‘The boss really wants you. I’ll play you and make you what you want to be’. That really helped as there were times when I thought: ‘Have I made the right decision?’.”

“It was surreal,” admits Mikel. “I was at school but had Chelsea and Manchester United — two of the world’s biggest clubs — trying to sign me. I’ll never forget that second meeting with Sir Alex. I’d signed a deal at United but had to tell him: ‘Sorry, I want to play for Chelsea’.

“He really liked me but I could see how angry and disappointed he was.

“Some things he told me made me think about changing my mind but I was thinking about Jose, too.

“I had these two great managers wanting me and I did not know what to do.

“Fergie told me: ‘Why would you turn down United? It’s the biggest club in the world. You cannot do that. You have to say Yes. If it’s money, I can give you what you want’. “But it was never about the money.

“I had Barca waiting to pounce if the legal wrangle couldn’t be sorted, but felt obliged to sign for Chelsea as they’d looked after me.

“I heard nothing from United after my trials but Chelsea looked after me and my family. I had a loyalty to them.

“Sir Alex did shake my hand on one visit to Old Trafford. I remember what he said when asked how it felt to lose me: ‘He is still going to play for me one day’.”

Source : http://cheapgoals.com/an-agent-once-offered-me-70000-when-i-was-15-john-obi-mikel/

error4040:
most decorated ?? and papilo Is A ball boy I guess

error4040:

lol you are comparing african young player of the year with african Footballer of Year ?

Smh
ok kanu African footballer of the year 1996,1999
bbc african footballer of the year 1997,1999
and if you think awards as a team also join our lil argument kanu has medals from three diff leagues your mikel only? epl.
and lastly mikel can't boast of 20 Career goals, incase you want to say de played diff positions kindly Use Messi as your lab-rat

for Godsake mikel is NO where on kanu's level

sabama007:


Just Ajax n Arsenal... 2 leagues not 3.

On career goals, Mikel playing as a defensive midfielder not a striker like January.

No labrat anywhere Mr

goshee:
the two are yet to win champions league not even to talk of copa america

sabama007:


What makes Papilo better than Mikel?

I only feel they are good in their own world

Drabeey:


LAYIWOLA SUMONDERE...


someone who has acheived this much, yet you typed this nonsense

where are those who they played that youth tournament together... mention another 3 apart from
messi
skrtel
fabregas

yeyerolling:
Be like victor moses and keep kwayet (bros wey use fake story get asylum). @ aged 15 mikel still dey school. Except he dey tell us he was using fake age. He shud tank God he no sign for man utd. Wud hv ended up lkm djemba djemba

Drabeey:


LAYIWOLA SUMONDERE...


someone who has acheived this much, yet you typed this nonsense

where are those who they played that youth tournament together... mention another 3 apart from
messi
skrtel
fabregas

Drabeey:


LAYIWOLA SUMONDERE...


someone who has acheived this much, yet you typed this nonsense

where are those who they played that youth tournament together... mention another 3 apart from
messi
skrtel
fabregas

faceURfront:
He didn't do badly at Chelsea, but when you remember how he played in that youth tournament, and how he played at Chelsea, you did think he would have been better suited at Manchester United.