Former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 35-year-old has been without a club since he ended his short spell at Kuwait SC in 2021. Mikel started his career as a youth player in Plateau United then he travelled to Norway to begin his professional career at Lyon in 2004.
He earned a move to Chelsea in 2006 where he spent 11 years and wone several European titles including UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
The 2005 CAF Most Promising Player left for Chinese club Tianjin Teda in 2017 and he returned to Europe a year later with spells at Middlesbrough, Trabzonspor and Stoke City.
He played over 500 professional games at club level and he scored nine goals in total.
On his Instagram page, Mikel wrote: “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 that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.
“I 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.”
After helping Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Mikel who won the Silver Ball at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship retired from international duty with the Super Eagles.
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