Nigerian footballer, Mikel Obi who just left Chelsea on Thursday after sealing a move to Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin TEDA has admitted that it has been an honor to play for Chelsea.
Read below;
‘To my Chelsea family,
After ten years, 374 appearances and eleven trophies, it is time to say goodbye.
Where do I begin? I joined Chelsea as a
19-year-old kid from the Norwegian Premier League, making my debut in
the Community Shield. I say goodbye as a champion of England, a champion
of Europe, and proud captain of my national team.
To play in the Premier League, the
best league in the world, is every professional player’s ambition. But
to play for Chelsea, to become part of the Chelsea family, to work with
some of the best managers and players in the world, has truly been an
honour.
Every achievement I have been part of
in my time at Chelsea holds a special memory: my first goal, against
Macclesfield in 2007 (even though there were only five more after
that!). The nail-biting end of the 2010 season – securing the title on
the last day, scoring a record 103 goals in the process, and winning the
FA Cup a week later. Didier’s extra time winner against Manchester
United in the 2007 FA Cup Final. Beating two of our biggest London
rivals in League Cup finals. Winning the Europa League in Amsterdam,
with one of the last kicks of the game.
Then there was Munich. We were
desperate to make up for the disappointment of the 2008 final, but
trailing with two minutes to go, against Bayern, in their own stadium,
it seemed that once more luck was against us. But that night, with lions
on our chest and the fans behind us, we fought. Up popped Didier, the
rest is history, and to date we’re still proudly the only team in London
with a European Cup.
None of this would have been possible
without the wider club’s support. To Mr Abramovich, the club’s staff,
coaches, physios, and to the managers I played under at Chelsea, I want
to say thank you.
But my biggest thanks must go to the
Blues fans. You brought me into the Chelsea family, you sung my name,
and were there with us every step of the way. Thanks to your support, on
nights like in Munich, you made the impossible possible.
As you will know, I haven’t featured
as much this season as I would have liked, and at 29 I still have many
years in the game ahead of me. With this in mind, I feel now is the time
to seek a new challenge. I’m delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA in
China, at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off, and
I look forward to helping Tianjin TEDA continue to grow both on and off
the pitch in the next few years.
To everyone at Chelea – goodbye, and
thank you. You will always be part of who I am, and I wish you the best
of luck. I could not be happier to be saying goodbye with the club back
where it belongs – top of the league.
Keep the Blue flag flying high!
Mikel John Obi’
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