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| UNDOUBTABLY HIGHLY GIFTED |
7/6/2007 |
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By Melvin A. V. Brown
‘’I cannot separate Didier from the other boys; he’s fantastic and is a top character who works for the team all the time; but everybody else does. If I have to choose a player it would be difficult because there were so many fantastic … players in the game from both sides, but for me, Mikel was unbelievable,’’ the visibly euphoric Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, said, after his side won the elusive English FA Cup in May.
The very successful young coach was answering questions from the media after Chelsea won the match with a last minutes lone goal from the club’s goal Merchant, Didier Drogba, against a determined Manchester United in the extra time. The match lived up to it’s billings by the media. It was a match that was played with great passion by both teams. The atmosphere was highly charged because of the prize that was at stake. For Jose Mourinho, the FA cup was the only award that has been absent in his trouphy cabinet and he was determined to add it to his collection, while Manchester United that has won it many times wanted to add it to the premier league cup they have already won earlier on in the month.
Many football fans agreed with Mourinho that, Mikel John Obi, the most highly gifted young football player to come out of Africa in recent years was amazing in the match from the first time he touched the ball when he came in the second half. He show-cased his skills and talents in the most beautiful game and made a lot of fans happy with the way and manner he played the match.
The quality of the talents and skills which he exhibited that day in the brand New ultra modern state of the art stadium - New Wembley, was simply incredible, which made it abundantly and crystally clear to onlookers why Chelsea was hell bent on getting him back after Manchester United signed him from Lyn Oslo football club in a controversial transfer.
Not many people know that the young boy’s name was originally Michael and not Mikel but for an innocent mistake made during his registration in the 2003 FIFA Under - 17 World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Since then the media took the name Mikel and ran with it, even his family name, Obi, is neglected, his former club Lyn Oslo and now Chelsea calls him that and wrote it on his jersey, so the whole world now calls him Mikel. Some of the sports journalists that knew him in his country Nigeria, when he was younger at the Pepsi Football Academey and Plateau United FC still call him by his original name of John Michael Obi.
I first met Mikel at the 2005 FIFA Under - 21 World Championship held in The Netherlands. I attended all the matches that the Flying Eagles played from their first match with Brazil in Emmen till the Final against Argentina in Utrecht as a member of the Press covering the tournament for The Voice magazine. I spoke with him a couple of times in a futile effort to get a personal interview.
My impression of him was that of a good mannered boy who seem to be happy outside inspite of his problem. I was in awe of his talents and skills throughout the tournament. Most people who came to Nigeria matches, came specifically to watch him play mainly because of the controversy of his transfer and the much talked about talent, but they were not disappointed. He was good throughout the tournament except in two aspects of his game - stamina and shot taking which were weak. I am glad that he has improved on them since joining Chelsea last year. He is now much stronger unlike the boy at the tournament that fall at the slightest touch, and he can now take solid shots at the goal post with ease.
The performance of the 20 year old midfielder in the FA Cup Final was simply magnificent. He performed beyond expectations. It was the best performance I have seen so far from him since joining Chelsea. It seem like he made the right choice in insisting he wanted the club and not Man United. With the special training which Mourinho gives him which at times include training separately, he has matured into an incredible footballer within only a season. He has won four awards. Two of them were individual and the other two were team awards. They are the FA Cup, the Carlings Cup, the Young African Footballer of the Year, and the Young Chelsea Footballer of the Year (chosen by the fans of the club).
His coach, Jose Mourinho, recalled when the young lad came in 2004 and trained with the team for only one week, ‘’Everybody was in love, not just me. The players were amazed at a young boy coming and training with us with such quality. Later we saw him in the African Cup of Nations playing like a giant. He was at an unbelievable level and we know what a player he can be,’’ he concluded. With his coach being a great admirer of his football talents the sky is his limit. All he has to do is to be humble and be like a sponge and soak up all the coach is teaching him and also learn from the experienced star players not only from his team but also other teams.
He should emulate players with good characters, and must not indulge in any evil vices that destroyed some players careers, such as excessive drinking of alcohol, drugs, women and partying. If he does all these he will be on his way to greatness which he is destined to be.
The Voice Sports team wish him success in his chosen career. Chee
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