Super Eagles skipper and former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has spoken up about the talks that ensued between him and Sir Alex Ferguson after he opted for Chelsea over Manchester United. Despite trial trainings at Old Trafford and even appearing with the United shirt to a conference, Mikel made a last minute call and chose Chelsea over the Reds.
When Mikel made his decision known to Sir Fergunson, he said the veteran manager told him he would regret turning down United.
The skipper told www.thesun.co.uk… “It was surreal, I was at school, but had Chelsea and Manchester United — two of the world’s biggest clubs — trying to sign me. I’ll never forget that second meeting with Sir Alex. I’d signed a deal at United but had to tell him: ‘Sorry, I want to play for Chelsea. He really liked me but I could see how angry and disappointed he was. Some things he told me made me think about changing my mind but I was thinking about Jose, too. I had these two great managers wanting me and I did not know what to do. He said, ‘Why would you turn down United? It’s the biggest club in the world – you cannot do that. You have to say yes’ As a footballer, you have to make decisions that you live with for the rest of your life.”
Despite persuasions from Sir Alex according to Mikel, he stuck to his decision and went ahead to spend nine years at Stamford Bridge, winning two league titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League.
