John Terry among other football stars has sent loving messages to John Mikel Obi after the latter announced his retirement from football at the age of 35 years old.
The Nigerian has called an end to his 18-year career which started back in 2004 with Nigerian side Plateau United. He was bought from Norway as a midfielder in 2006 and played with African stars and World stars like Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, and a host of other Chelsea legends.
Whether it was Mikel’s involvement in the run to the 2012 UEFA Champions League title or his iconic goal in Paris, Mikel despite not going down as a legend, will be remembered for being a cult hero of such.
In an Instagram post, Mikel Obi who racked up an impressive 372 appearances in SW6, confirmed the news with a little note:
“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 when I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.”
“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.”
@johnterry.26 said: [?’What a great career my friend, it was a pleasure to play and share the dressing room with you. Love you Georgie Boy [followed by another blue heart emoji and a football one too].’