Former captain of the senior national team of Nigeria John Obi Mikel has announced his retirement from professional football bringing to an end a 20 year career which started at the age of 16.
Mikel who first announced himself as a 16 year old for the U17 team of Nigeria in 2003 made the announcement on his official Instagram handle and thanked everyone who played a part in shaping his career over the years.
He started his club career at Norwegian side Lyn Oslo before a protracted transfer saga which lasted over a year ended with his move to Chelsea despite claims by Manchester United that he has signed to represent them.
At Chelsea he spent ten and half seasons and won all that there is to win at club football before heading to Chinese side Tianjin TEDA. He spent two years there before terminating his deal and secured a short term move to English Championship side Middlesbrough.
Turkey was his next base where he played for Bursaspor for a year. He returned to England and represented Stoke City for a year, they were keen to keep him for another season but he opted for Kuwait SC. He ended up leaving the Kuwaiti side without playing a single competitive game.
