John Mikel Obi, a former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, has shared intriguing details about his time there.
The 35-year-old, who retired from professional football last year, talked about his interactions with some of the coaches and teammates he played with during his 11-year stint at Stamford Bridge in an interview with Dubai Eye 103.8.
The winner of the 2013 Nations Cup also revealed some fascinating information about the warning signs that the club’s manager would be fired at a time when the team wasn’t doing well.
“We always had a meeting with Roman (Abramovich) once the team was not doing well. He comes in and has a chat with us (team), he sits down, and everybody sits.
“He had this guy who was his friend and interpreter, so he starts shouting and screaming in Russian and then goes off and says you guys go back now and play football and start winning.
“If we don’t do that, the next time he comes in, he flies in with his helicopter to the training ground and that is it, we know that the manager is gone.”
The ex-Super Eagles captain worked under eleven managers at Chelsea, including top football managers like Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Antonio Conte.
He made 249 appearances for the Blues, winning the EPL, UCL, Europa League, FA Cup, and League Cup.