Former Super Eagles Defender, Ifeanyi Udeze has thrown his weight behind ex-Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi’s planned move to Brazilian top club, Botafogo FC, saying the former Chelsea midfielder’s outstanding performance over the years has shown that he has nothing to prove anymore in the game.
Udeze said Mikel’s decision to play in Brazil would expose him to another culture and pattern of football, adding that the Brazilian league is different from the European league where the 32-year-old has spent all his years playing professional football.
The ex PAOK Salonika of Greece defender, however, advised Mikel to be more focused and committed while in Brazil, stressing that a large number of Nigerian young players are looking up to him as a role model.
“Mikel’s planned move to Brazil is not bad. The young man is in the process of retiring from soccer, so there is a need for him to use the opportunity to expose himself more.
“Mike doesn’t have anything to prove in football any more. He is just going to Brazil to enjoy himself.
“If his family is happy with him playing in Brazil, it is also good for him.
“The Brazilian league is competitive and Mikel will enjoy his stay there,” he said.
Mikel, whose contract with Turkish club, Trabzonspor, was cancelled because he spoke against continuing the league under the COVID-19 pandemic, made 19 appearances in Turkey, where he moved to from England’s Middleborough.
The Guardian
