Super Eagles’ former captain, John Mikel Obi has added his voice to comments trailing the recent outflvuest of Victor Osimhen during Nigeria’s 4-0 victory over Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sports247 reports that, while many Nigerians have condemned Osimhen for publicly slamming Ademola Lookman and shunning Eagles’ current captain, Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi, Mikel looks at it from a bitter-sweet point of view.
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He posited as much on his social media podcast, revealing that he likes Osimhen’s assertive style to football matters, but admitted the Galatasaray of Turkey star threw caution to the wind with his controversial conduct on Monday.
“He’s a fighter. He plays like a warrior, and that’s what top teams need. He gives everything on the pitch, and that’s how he gets the best out of himself. As a striker, when you score two goals, you want the third.
“Any striker would feel frustrated in that situation. Victor is a player who wins games for us, not just with the ball but with his work rate off it as well,” Mikel stated.
The Rio 2016 Olympics bronze medalist, who played for Lyn Oslo of Norway, Chelsea, Stoke City and Middlesbrough of England as well as Trabzonspor of Turkey and Tianjin TEDA of China during his active days, also reasoned that heated moments sometimes occur among teammates, but most be resolved quickly.
“I like seeing players argue and demand more from each other on the pitch. What matters is that once the game is over, you make up and move on,” he added.
Mikel, though, pointed out that Osimhen should have been discreet and subtle in how he made his desires known; especially as the striker ended up being booed by fans who idolise him.
Regarding Osimhen’s outburst and demand for instant substitution, Mikel said: “That part I didn’t like. Football is always about the team. No individual is bigger than the national team, and Victor knows that.”
