Mikel Opens Middlesbrough Account, 5 Years & 226 Days After Last League Goal For Chelsea

Published: May 05, 2019

Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel waited until the final day of the regular season before netting his maiden goal for Middlesbrough in their 2-1 win against Rotherham United at the New York Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Despite their victory, Boro who finished with 73 points missed out on the top six positions after Derby County defeated West Brom 3-1 in a simultaneous game.

The away side established a two-goal cushion thanks to Mikel, who sent a spectacular left-footed shot straight to the net eight minutes before half-time.

It was his first goal in English League football since September 21, 2013 when he found the net in Chelsea's 2-0 win against Fulham and his first strike in 5 years and 226 days.

The Nigeria captain made his 267th career appearance in the Premier League and Championship against The Millers, with 249 of those games in the colours of Chelsea.

With Middlesbrough failing to qualify for the playoffs, the future of Mikel is certain to dominate the back pages as he penned a short term contract until the end of the 2018-2019 season after terminating his contract with Tianjin Teda.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : mfc.co.uk