I picked Chelsea ahead of Man Utd because of my friends ―Mikel

John Obi Mikel’s transfer to Chelsea, via his non move to Manchester United, is one of the great mysteries of modern football and finally the Nigeria midfielder has explained it all.

No one has ever been sure what happened or why Mikel changed his mind to sign for the Blues but talking to the Players Tribune he’s finally explained it, saying: “You know what made my mind up? Chelsea had signed three other players from Nigeria along with me. They were staying with me at the house in London to keep me company. These guys … their lives depended on the decision I was making. If I went to United, they were gone. If I went to Chelsea, they were going to have a career. No matter how long it lasted, that was important to me. Just to give them a chance, you know?

“I chose Chelsea, and four lives changed that day.”

Mikel further explained the complications adding, “Well, my Dad wasn’t too pleased about what happened either. He wanted me to go to Manchester United because he loved Alex Ferguson. Back home in Nigeria, a lot of people were saying I should go to United because of how well they work with young players, whereas Chelsea just bought superstars.

“And it’s true, I was only 18 years old and Chelsea had players like Lampard, Ballack and Makélélé in midfield. A lot of people in Nigeria doubted that I could even make the Chelsea team if I went there.

“I’ll tell you what happened. I had all these people on both sides fighting over me. Agents, managers, strangers, guys handling my papers. I had Sir Alex Ferguson calling me on the phone on one side. And I had Roman Abramovich on the other side, putting me up in London, hiding me somewhere where only a few people knew where I was. It was really confusing, and I was a kid, you know?”

It’s one of the great intrigues of recent years and it’s a bloody good job the Players Tribune has finally answered the question of why Mikel chose Stamford Bridge, it wasn’t a bad choice.