Obi Mikel : It's Always A Pleasure To Captain Young, Motivated Super Eagles Team

Published: June 01, 2018

Tianjin Teda star John Obi Mikel says he is honoured to captain the Super Eagles team heading to the 2018 World Cup.

The experienced midfielder was first appointed captain of the national team by interim coach Samson Siasia in March 2016 ahead of an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt, replacing Ahmed Musa.

Mikel still held the armband when Gernot Rohr took over as coach of the Super Eagles in August 2016, with Eddy Onazi, Elderson Echiejile and Leon Balogun acting as his assistants.

''It's a very young team full of motivation and energy and I am very proud, very honored to lead this team,'' Mikel said at Friday's press conference at Wembley.

''What I do is I try to lead the team, always try to tell them exactly what the coach wants us to do, how we play as a team.

''It's always a pleasure to lead this team and captain this team and I think this young team are ready to make history.

''We want to do well, we want to play well in the World Cup and hopefully these players and this team we can achieve great success in the World Cup.''

The 31-year-old Mikel has made over 80 appearances for the Super Eagles since he debuted against Libya in August 2005, scoring six goals.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel