Mikel is too stubborn – Siasia
Former Super Eagles coach,Samson Siasia, has said that the only commendable thing John Mikel Obi did was his decision to play for Nigeria in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and perform well during the competition.
The relationship between Samson Siasia and Mikel Obi has been rocky for a long time.
The former Chelsea midfielder was a member of Siasia’s under-20 national squad, which finished second in the 2005 FIFA World Cup.
Prior to that, Mikel Obi was a member of Siasia’s squad that emerged victorious in the 2005 African Youth Championship. The coach mentored Obi on the senior national team from 2010 to 2011, as well as in 2016.
Although there was a long-standing friendship between the two Nigerian football legends, the 56-year-old coach stated that he could not handle the stubborn nature of the 36-year-old retired player.
In a recent podcast, Samson Siasia said that Obi showed leadership qualities like a captain at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, when Nigeria won a bronze medal.
The coach said, “Mikel is a little bit out of my list; he is stubborn. I can not tolerate people like that much. The only good thing he did was that he came and played very well in the Olympics. He acted as a captain.”
By Nnaemeka Odenigbo
