If you are one of the millions of Mikel’s fans within and outside Nigeria, today’s post is centred on the talented football player. You must have asked the question, what is Mikel Obi net worth?
John Michael Obinna is a Nigerian professional football player that operates in the midfield and plays for Turkish club Trabzonspor. Born April 22, 1987, he is variously known as John Mikel Obi, John Obi Mikel, or Mikel John Obi.
He was born in Jos and began his career with local club Plateau United. At the age of 17, Mikel then joined Lyn, a Norwegian club, in 2004. About 2 years later, the midfielder penned a deal with English club Chelsea, though the transfer was marred with controversy after Manchester United FC, which was then managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, claimed that they had already signed him.
He stayed with the Blues for 11 years, after which he moved to China with Tianjin TEDA in the year 2017. After a 2-year stint in China, the erstwhile Super Eagles captain returned to England on a short-term deal with EFL Championship side Middlesbrough FC.
In July 2019 when the African Cup of Nations came to an end, with Nigeria clinching the bronze medal, he retired from the national team. In the same month, he joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer.
The 32-year old, in an international career that spanned 14 years (2005 – 2019), played 88 times for Nigeria and netted 6 times.
Let’s dive deep into Mikel Obi’s net worth, biography, cars, and lifestyle.
Mikel Obi Net Worth
Mikel is among Nigeria’s most successful footballers, with an estimated net worth around $60 million.
He owns an array of properties and cars in Nigeria and England. He further adds tremendous value to his bank balance via different endorsing brands with Samsung, Pepsi, and many other sports brands.
The successful footballer has a 5-year deal with Amstel Malta, which is worth ₦800 million and had a 1-year contract with Peak Milk, which was valued at ₦20 million.
Mikel Obi’s Biography
John Michael Nchekwube Obinna is a 32-year old midfielder, who is 6ft. 2in. tall. He was born & bred in a town in Jos, Plateau State, and as an Igbo, he is a native of Anambra State, which is located in Eastern Nigeria.
Mr. Michael Obi, his father, was a businessman, who was into the transportation business.
Mikel started football when he was just a toddler, aged 12, and was picked up then by the Pepsi Football Academy. He got chosen to play for Plateau United, one of the top clubs in this country.
The talented footballer later joined Lyn FC, which is based in Oslo, Norway.
His name, Mikel, came about from a mistake that was made by the then Nigerian Football Association (NFA) (now called the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF), who had submitted that in lieu of his original name, Michael. The incident took place during the FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament in 2003, which was hosted by and held in Finland.
Ever since then, the name, “Mikel”, stuck with him, with fans both in Nigeria and abroad calling him that. He came into limelight on putting up a series of dazzling performances in the 2005 World Cup Youth Championship, which was held in the Netherlands. In the tournament, he contributed immensely to Nigeria reaching the finals before conceding defeat, 2-1, to Argentina.
Recognizing his sparkling performance in the event, he was voted the 2nd best player after Lionel Messi (a key player in the winning team), and he was awarded a silver ball.
After that match, Chelsea and Manchester United were bidding for him to join their team. It was then announced that John Mikel Obi had joined Man United after the EPL outfit inked a deal with Lyn.
Chelsea, however, later claimed that they’d established a working relationship directly with Mikel and his agents and had come to an agreement. Chelsea FC averred that José Mourinho, its manager, had found the Nigerian footballer an impressive talent since 2004.
Lyn, of course, denied that, and Mikel, in a hasty press conference, was presented in the Red Devils jersey. On joining Man United, he got many threatening calls — all from anonymous sources.
Not long after, the player was reported to have been kidnapped, and Man Utd. accused its rivals, Chelsea, of being responsible for this. It then turned out that Mikel Obi had taken a trip to London with his agent, John Shittu, for “personal affairs”.
The midfielder, coming back from 9-day disappearance, declared his interest to play for Chelsea. But his request got rebuffed by Man United and Lyn, in the absence of his agent.
Manchester United and Lyn filed a complaint with FIFA to have the debacle resolved, but no solution could be achieved as a result of insufficient information. To settle the transfer, Chelsea then volunteered to pay Man Utd. £12 million and Lyn Oslo £4 million to have John Obi Mikel.
Interestingly, it turned out that Lyn Director had forged some related official documents, according to reports that surfaced few months later. The director was, consequently, given a suspended jail sentence for 12 months.
Mikel then went on to enjoy a remarkable 11 year-spell at Chelsea FC, winning 1 Champions League, 1 Europa League, 2 EPL, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup as well as 1 Community Shield title. After which he reached an agreement to join Chinese side Tianjin Teda in 2017.
This transfer made his salary rise from £82,000 per week in Chelsea to £140,000 in Tianjin Teda. On leaving Tianjin Teda, where he mostly played as a defender, Mikel signed for Middlesbrough FC, and EFL Championship club.
In June 2019, he captained the Super Eagles in the African Nations Cup in Egypt, where Nigeria came third. The third-place play-off against Tunisia, which Nigeria won by a lone goal, proved the final game of Mikel’s international career.
Announcing his retirement from international football, the 32-year-old midfielder said: “Egypt is a country where I’ve started and have finished my national career. In 2006 I played my first official championship for my country. [The] 2019 Africa Cup of Nations marks my last championship for national team with Super Eagles.
“My national career started in 2003 under-17 World Cup and I’m grateful for the national team for placing me on the world arena and giving me an opportunity to show my skill and have an incredible national and international career.
“At the age of 32 it’s time for me to retire from the national team and let the youth take over, who’ve done an amazing job securing a bronze medal at AFCON 2019.
“Thank you to all my Nigerian supporters and to my country for all the trust, support and love you’ve shown me over the past 15 years. Mikel am out!”
In July 2019, he moved to Trabzonspor — a Turkish sports club — on a free transfer, where he reportedly earns €1.5m (₦607m) per season
John Mikel Obi is married to Olga Diyachenko, a Russian model, and the couple is blessed with 2 kids, Mia and Ava, who are twin girls born in 2015.
Mikel Obi’s Cars
The popular footballer does not only earn eye-watering income from football clubs but also owns a lot of real estate in expensive areas in this country. He has a fascinating collection of cars, which include Bentley Continental GT, Range Rover, Black Mercedes
Let’s look at Mikel’s cars and their cost briefly:
Mercedes-Benz E-Class (valued at ₦27.3 million): This could be the first luxury car Mikel Obi acquired in 2012.
Mercedes-Benz G 500 (valued at ₦43.6 million): Mercedes-Benz G500 has a classic design, marked with solidity and reliability. Its estimated price is $119,900 (₦43.6 million)
Range Rover Sport (valued at ₦43.6 million): This is another car acquired by the football star.
Mercedes-Benz G Wagon (valued at ₦81 million): The G-Wagon is a legend from Mercedes-Benz, worth $222,700 (about ₦81 million). Built with powerful accessories, it is an SUV and is among the most favoured vehicles all over the world.
Bentley Continental GT (valued at ₦82 million): This luxury car is developed based on Rolls-Royce chassis. It has enough room to take up to 4 passengers with spacious legroom and comes with a seat arrangement that is similar to a sports car.
These are just some of Mikel’s cars.
With his accumulated wealth, John Obi Mikel also owns many houses in Nigeria as well as London. One of his houses is estimated to be worth more than £200,000.
Mikel Obi’s Lifestyle
According to online sources, Mikel has been romantically linked with a number of girls in the past, such as Sandra Akagbue, Genevieve Nnaji, and Rita Dominic. Sandra Akagbue is a Nigerian Delta Soap Queen, who is also a model and an entrepreneur.
The 32-year-old footballer is married to Russian Olga Dyachenko, and they have twin daughters.
Mikel and his spouse first met each other in London. They started dating in 2013. Olga Dyachenko is the daughter of Mr. Dyachenko, who is a Russian billionaire and business tycoon.
That is all about Mikel Obi net worth, biography and lifestyle.
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