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NDIDI IS GOOD, BUT NOT COMPARABLE WITH “MY MIKEL” SAYS SIASIA

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BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.

 

 

Samson Siasia who tactically wrestled the captainship of the Super Eagles from Ahmed Musa and handed the skipper’s armband to Mikel Obi on the eve of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations  duel with Egypt two years ago in Kaduna, has come out with a verdict that Mikel still remains the soul of the Super Eagles.

While not dismissing the challenge from national teammate, Wilfred Ndidi, Siasia told www.sportsvillagesquare.com that Mikel still remains the face of Nigerian football.

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Mikel played under Samson Siasia in the 2005 World Youth Championship that had since the next edition been renamed the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Mikel, who played in the competition with the iconic Lionel Messi of Argentina shot into limelight and was the object of widespread dispute between two giant English Premiership sides – Chelsea and Manchester United.

Mikel again played for Samson Siasia team at the football tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympics. Siasia remarked that Mikel had passed the test of time having had to contend with suffocating challenges from the likes of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, Claude Makelele, and Deco among others to get a defensive midfielder   role in Chelsea.

“I laugh when I hear some soccer pundit comparing “My Mikel” with Wilfred Ndidi. I mean why should one go ahead comparing both players. Mikel is a complete player any coach will love to have. He controls the ball perfectly and wins tackle neatly.

“The way he shields the ball makes him a complete African player. Don’t quote me wrong. I am not saying Wilfred Ndidi is not a good player. Currently, he tackles hard than Mikel no doubt, but with the fact that he met Mikel in the game speaks volume about his ability and experience.

” Mikel  has been used by European great coaches and  his AFCON, World Cup and Champions League exposures are enough for Ndidi to look up to him.

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“Even while he is on national team colour, I trained him to a level whereby soccer loving Nigeria drum support for him to be call up into the Super Eagles. With his medals in football, I won’t be mistaken comparing him to great Nwankwo Kanu.

“Let me make it clear to Nigerians, Ndidi is also a promising star which I think he is capable of chasing the records of Mikel. He should keep working hard and I believe he will get there sooner or later,” remarked Siasia stated.

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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