How My Name ‘Michael’ became ‘Mikel’ – Mikel Obi

Former Super Eagles midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed that his iconic football name resulted from a mix-up during his time with Nigeria’s Under-17 team.

Mikel made the revelation on his podcast, ObiOne, recalling how he intended to use “Michael” when the team prepared to print the players’ names, only for his name to return as “Mikel.”

“I changed my name. In the U17s, when they went to print the name, I gave them Michael, they came back with Mikel,” he said.

Rather than correct the error, Mikel eventually adopted the name, which became synonymous with one of Nigeria’s most accomplished footballers.

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The former Chelsea midfielder spent more than a decade with the English club, winning the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and two Premier League titles, among other honours.

At international level, Mikel earned more than 90 caps for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

What began as a simple printing mix-up ultimately became the name by which the midfielder was recognised throughout his distinguished career.