Former captain of the Nigeria Super Eagles John Obi Mikel has announced his retirement from professional football after 20 years.
Obi retired at the age of 35 with laurels won for both clubs and country, including Nations Cup, and Champions League, among others.
He disclosed his retirement on Tuesday on his social media account with an emotional note to his fans.
“There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today.
“I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and, more importantly, the human it has helped shape.
All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, teammates and most importantly, my ever-loyal fans.
“You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.
“I will also like to encourage everyone who I may have inspired one way or the other in the course of my career to never give up on their dreams, for every time you think about quitting, remind yourself why you started.
This is not goodbye, it’s the start of another journey, another chapter of my life. I look forward to what the future holds, and I hope you will walk with me. Thank you”, he wrote.
Mikel started his career with a local club, Plateau United, before joining a Norwegian club, Lyn Oslo, at the age of 17 in 2004.
He made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him.
