Former Super Eagles’ captain, John Mikel Obi has gained another huge dose of recognition in the twilight of his career, as he has been named captain of his new club, Kuwait SC, where he immediately promised to give his very best effort in order to justify their trust in him.
Megasportsarena.com reports that this was confirmed during the Kuwaiti Premier League club’s official unveiling and presentation of Mikel, who earlier signed a contract that will keep him in the Middle East team until ending of the 2021/22 season.
Mikel was assigned jersey number 12 at his new base, to reflect memories of his glorious days with Chelsea of England, where he donned the same figure on his back for his more than 10 years, as well as at Trabzonspor of Turkey.
In a remarkable gesture, Kuwait SC’s previous captain, Hussein Hakim gave up the skipper’s band to Mikel, who won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, English Premier League, English FA Cup and League Cup with Chelsea.
He also won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and captained the under-23 team, Olympic Eagles, to bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with two outings at the FIFA World Cup (2014 and 2018) also under his boots.
All these trappings have earned Mikel awe and respect at Kuwait DSC, such that the players, crew and officials reckoned they needed his status and image as a propelling force to guide them as captain in his first season since arriving from Stoke City of England.
In response to the gesture, Mikel vowed to lead his new team to titles this season and the 34-year-old holding midfielder, who signed a year’s deal, after having his contract with Stoke cancelled by mutual consent, affirmed his delight at the reception he received in the oil rich nation.
Mikel stated: “I’m very happy, extremely happy to be here. First I’d like to thank the club president for having me and other foreign players here as well. Obviously, we are here to add value to the team.
“We know what the team demands and we know we have to win games and win trophies. That is why we are here. I will use my experience, everything I have to help the team and improve it.”
