Chelsea star, Mikel Obi, has been named the new Super Eagles captain
barely 24 hours to the crucial games against the Pharaohs of Egypt in
the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
While Mikel had been one of the most senior players in the national
team, he was overlooked by former coach, Sunday Oliseh, who instead
opted for Ahmed Musa as replacement for Vincent Enyeama as the Eagles
skipper.
However, interim boss, Samson Siasia, at a press conference in Kaduna
on Thursday, upturned the table for Mikel to get the captain’s armband.
Mikel represented Nigeria at the U-17 and U-20 levels at the 2005
FIFA World Youth Championship and won the Silver Ball for the
second-best player at the tournament, behind Lionel Messi, as Nigeria
finished runner-up to Argentina.
He made his debut for the Super Eagles on August 17, 2005, when he
came on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Libya.
He did not play for the national team again prior to being named in the squad for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mikel made his FIFA World Cup debut during the 2014 tournament in
Brazil, winning a Man-of-the-Match award in the Super Eagles’ opening
game against Iran and helping the team to reach the knockout stage for
the first time since 1998.
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