Former Super Eagles midfielder John Obi Mikel has opened up on the actual circumstances surrounding his departure from Chelsea in 2017 after a largely successful eleven-year stint at Stamford Bridge, Footynaija.com reports.
Mikel first joined the Blues in 2006, following one of the most controversial transfer sagas in football history, and grew to become an influential figure at the club as the years went by contributing to 2 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 EFL Cups, 1 UCL and UECL trophies.
However, with the arrival of Italian gaffer Antonio Conte in the summer of 2016, the then Super Eagles skipper found himself ostracized from the first team and forced to train on his own for the first half of the 16/17 season before eventually departing the club in 2017.
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Speaking on the Vibe with Five Podcast, Mikel shed light on what really transpired between himself and Conte that eventually led to his departure.
Mikel Obi explains how international commitment ended Chelsea career
“Conte was the reason why I left,” he said. “When he came in, Victor Moses and I got invited to go to the national team Olympics, so I had a conversation with the club and he (Conte) said I would not play for the club anymore if I decide to go.
“He said ‘I’m a new manager and I’m here, we need to think about the team and the club.’ And he made it clear that my time was done if I decided to go.
“And I was like, ‘You know what? I’ve been invited to represent the country at the Olympics.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, but if you go just know that your time here is done.’
“I had a hard time when I came back. He never spoke to me and sent me to the reserve team where I was training, and I started training alone for a while, for like six months. I knew my time was done.”
Conte delivered instant success by winning the Premier League title that very season while Mikel continued his career away from Europe after securing a move to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.
