By Gracious Akujobi Super Eagles and Chelsea midfield maestro, John Obi Mikel has expressed profound gratitude to his fans in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, who supported and prayed for him to win the 2013 Glo-CAF Africa Player of the Year won by Cote d’ Ivorian Yahaya Toure.
In a statement signed by Mikel’s manager and agent, Olatunji John Shittu, Mikel said, “I am overwhelmed by the support of Nigerians at home and abroad, and others who voted for me and supported me in my quest to be crowned the African Player of the Year”
“It’s a great joy that what I do week in, week out for my great club Chelsea and my beloved country Nigeria is appreciated by millions of people worldwide”.
He said he would have loved to have an interactive session with his fans, who he believed are his best friends, after the Thursday night ceremony but for the call to duty.
Mikel had to leave immediately after the ceremony because Chelsea was billed to play Hull City Football Club in the English Premier League last Saturday. Mikel who arrived London on Friday played in the 2-0 defeat of Hull City the next day.
On the GLO-CAF Award, the statement wished the winner Toure well, asserting that Mikel’s time will come soon.
“It is just like in every football match. In every game someone has to win, and Toure won this time. Mikel still has more glorious years ahead of him, the Brasil 2014 World Cup is around the corner and many championships are ahead of him; he will surely be crowned Africa best soon”, said Shittu.
Many football aficionados believed that Mikel who achieved more than any other African footballer in the season under review should have won the award.
In CAF’s biggest and most prestigious championship, the African Nations Cup, Mikel representing Nigeria’s Super Eagles defeated Toure and the Ivorian in the quarter-final. Mikel went on to inspire the Super Eagles to win the championship.
