Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has revealed his pick for the greatest African footballer, omitting top names like Mohammed Salah, Samuel Eto’o, Riyad Mahrez, and George Weah.
Instead, Mikel chose his former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba as the best.
Mikel, who played a key role in Nigeria’s AFCON 2013 victory, shared his selection process during an interview with GOAL.
The 37-year-old, now a football pundit on the Obi One Podcast, participated in a knockout-style segment where he had to choose between two African legends in each round.
In the first round, Mikel selected Drogba over Sadio Mane, George Weah over Samuel Eto’o, Mohammed Salah over Riyad Mahrez, and Yaya Toure over Jay-Jay Okocha.
For the semi-final stage, he picked Drogba over Weah and Yaya Toure over Salah.
In the final, Mikel chose Drogba, citing their successful partnership at Chelsea. “I played with him for so many years and we won everything together, so I have to go with Didier,” Mikel said.
Mikel and Drogba played 189 matches together at Chelsea, winning the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, four FA Cups, and two Premier League titles.
