In a nostalgic reflection on his early days at Chelsea, Mikel Obi shared his awe at rubbing shoulders with footballing legends.
Mikel expressed his amazement at finding himself in the same dressing room as iconic players he had watched on television while growing up in Africa.
“When I first came to Chelsea, I was surprised I was sharing a dressing room with all these players I had watched on television back in Africa. I was sitting next to Lassana Diarra. I’d be there thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s Didier Drogba. It’s Frank Lampard. It’s John Terry’,” Mikel reminisced.
According to Goal, he went on to credit his seamless integration into the Chelsea squad to the support and guidance of fellow midfielder Michael Essien.
“Michael always told me I was a good player and just reminded me to ‘bring the ball down, control and pass. If you need to dribble, dribble. If you don’t need to, just pass. You are strong. You are fast, too. If you can, just push the ball past and run, run, run because they cannot catch you,'” Mikel fondly recalled.
For Mikel, Essien’s mentorship played a pivotal role in bolstering his confidence during his time at Chelsea, and his journey with the club left an indelible mark on his football career.