Known for his long-range pass and silkiness on the ball during the early stage of his career, the former Super Eagles captain saw his role reversed under the Portuguese manager at Stamford Bridge.
Only bettered by Lionel Messi at the 2005 U-20 World Cup in Holland, Mikel finished as the second-best player of the tournament following a fine performance where he helped Nigeria to a second-place finish with his two-goal contributions.
Mikel became one of the most sought-after players immediately after the tournament with the player said to have already signed a deal with Manchester United, who were looking for a midfielder to replace the aging legendary Paul Scholes.
But after some drama, the Nigerian made a switch to the Stamford Bridge in what till today remained one of the most bizarre transfers in the English Premier League.
After his transfer to Chelsea, Mourinho surprisingly converted Mikel to a defensive midfielder.
Unperturbed by the 36-year-old goal contributions, Mourinho revealed his admiration for the Nigerian.
“I liked everything about Mikel. If you go through all the positional [defensive] midfield players that I have had during my career, there are lots of similar things,” Mourinho said on the ObiOne Podcast.
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