Former Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, John Mikel Obi, has announced his retirement from active football.
The former Chelsea midfielder made this known to the public through his social media.
“There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today,” wrote on his Instagram page.
“I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape.”
“All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, teammates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans.”
“You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.”
“I will also like to encourage everyone who I may have inspired one way or the other in the course of my career to never give up on their dreams, for every time you think about quitting, remind yourself why you started.”
“This is not goodbye, it’s the start of another journey, another chapter of my life. I look forward to what the future holds and I hope you will walk with me. Thank you.”
The former midfielder was part of Chelsea side that won the 2012 UEFA Champions League title.
Mikel also won two Premier League titles, three FA Cup trophies, the 2007 League Cup and the 2013 Europa League during his 11-year stint with Chelsea.
His success was also at International level as he won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 with Nigeria.
John Obi Mikel started off his youth career at Plateau United then went abroad to Lyn in Norway at the age of 17.
The 35 year-old was brought into the limelights with a controversial move to Chelsea in 2006 making 249 appearances till 2017.
He had stints in Tianjin TEDA, Middlesbrough, Trabzonspor, Stoke City and Kuwait SC.
John Obi Mikel spent 18 years in total playing the beautiful game of football.