John Michael Nchekwube Obinna popularly known as Mikel Obi is a famous Nigerian professional football player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for his country Nigeria national team “Super Eagles” and Chinese club Tianjin TEDA on free transfer. He was a former midfielder for English club Chelsea.He was born on 22nd April 1987 in Jos, Plateau State in the northern part of Nigeria. He is currently 32 years old.Mikel Obi is originally from Anambra State in the south eastern part of Nigeria but grew up in Jos, Plateau State in the northern part of Nigeria.

Mike Obi Football Career

Mikel Obi started his official football career at the age of 12 years old when he was picked as a talented footballer from over 3,000 young talents to play in Pepsi Football Academy. His hard work and diligence made him to be picked to play for top-flight club “Plateau United”.However, Mikel Obi become famous in 2003, when during preparations for the 2003 FIFA Under-17 World Championships, the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) mistakenly submitted his name as “Mikel” instead of “Michael” for the tournament in Finland. The mistake became a topic for discussion and while it was discussed, his fame grew astronomically. After winning the Under-17 World Championships, he decided to keep the name because he believed it came with certain grace. In the summer of 2005, Mikel Obi played for Nigeria at the FIFA World Youth Championships held in Netherlands. He had an excellent tournament until Nigeria reached the final, where they lost 2–1 to Argentina.Briefly after Mikel Obi turned 18 years old, Premier League club Manchester United announced that it had struck a deal with Lyn to sign Mikel Obi into Manchester United with a transfer fee worth over £4 million and would see the player arrive Old Trafford in January 2006. However, Mikel eventually ended up playing for rival club, Chelsea football club.

Mikel Obi Net Worth

Mikel Obi according to Austinmedia.com is worth a whopping over $50 million, making him one of the richest and most influential footballer in Nigeria. Apart from football, Mikel Obi is also a model. He has a multi-million endorsement deals with Samsung, Pepsi and Soft Drink. He earns £150,000 weekly. That is, he earns roughly N60 million weekly playing football. He is currently one of the highest paid soccer players in Africa and also one of the richest footballer in Africa.