Soccer Nigeria National Team and Chelsea FC Midfielder Nigeria

John Mikel Obi is widely considered the greatest hope of Nigerian football, having replaced Jay-Jay Okocha in the heart of the Nigerians fans.

Born in Plateau State in Nigeria April 22,1987, John Mikel Obi started from a local academy called Pepsi before arriving at Lyn FC in Norway. After a controversial transfer between Manchester United and Chelsea FC, he became a part of the blues squad where he is today growing as a world class player.

Today, he is a member of the Super Eagles after being the Silver Boot of the under 20 World Cup in 2005 in the Netherlands.

ohn Michael Obi became John Mikel Obi after the Nigerian Football Association mistakenly submitted "Michael" as "Mikel" for the U-17 World Cup tournament in Finland. He has been called Mikel ever since.

Born in Jos, Obi played league football with Plateau United from age 15 before moving to Ajax Cape town in South Africa and, later, Lyn Oslo. In 2006, he moved to Chelsea FC in a controversial transfer move for a 2-year exclusive contract. In July 2009, he signed on for another five years with the club.

Obi made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Libya on August 17, 2005. His first tournament was the African Cup of Nations in 2006.

Source : Wikipedia