Mikel Obi: Net Worth, Salary, Biography, Age, And Family

Mikel Obi is a football player who played for Nigeria at the international level as well as Chelsea FC as a defensive midfielder. His net worth is currently  $45 Million. While he was playing for Nigeria, he became one of the most admired Nigerian footballers of his time and went on to help the country win the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mikel Obi is one of the most decorated players on the African continent. He has played for different clubs apart from Chelsea including Middlesbrough, Trabzonspor, and Stoke City.

Mikel Obi Biography, What Is His Age?

Mikel was born in Jos, a Middle Belt city of Nigeria on Wednesday, April 22^nd, 1987. He had his primary school education at Jos Metropolis Township Primary School where he found his passion for kicking balls. At age 12, his skills appealed to scouts and he was selected by the Pepsi football academy, one of the best in Nigeria. His first official team was the Plateau United.

Mikel joined the U-17 team of Nigeria and participated in the FIFA World Championship hosted by Finland. When the names of players were sent by the NFA (Nigerian Football Association) to FIFA, Michael’s name was wrongly spelled as Mikel. This led to his accepting the name as his football name. His amazing skills at the tournament saw him join Lyn Football, a club based in Oslo, Norway. He played on the team for two years (2004- 2006) and made 6 appearances scoring 1 goal.

In 2005, Mikel Obi was chosen on the squad to represent Nigeria in the FIFA World Youth Championship. The team had an excellent run and got to the finals where they lost by 1 goal to the Argentinean team (2-1). Messi, who led Argentine, was made the best player of the tournament while Mikel Obi was placed at second best and made African Player of the Year, a crown he retained in 2006.

Mikel Obi’s Exploits With Chelsea

After a controversy surrounding his move to Manchester United from Lyn, Obi joined Chelsea F.C. in 2006 and obtained a work permit in June. The controversy, which dragged on for months, was only resolved when Chelsea offered Man. U. a settlement of £12 million and Lyn £4 million.

Obi’s first outing for Chelsea was in the 2006 UEFA Champions League match with Levski Sofia, a Bulgarian team. In the 11 seasons, he stayed with the London club, the defensive midfielder scored 6 goals in 374 appearances. The club also won nine trophies, including the 2011- 2012 UEFA Champions League title and the 2012- 2013 UEFA Europa League title. In 2007 and 2008, he was named Chelsea Young Player of the Year.

In January 2017, Mikel moved to Tianjin TEDA, a Chinese club, following Chelsea’s refusal to renew his contract. He scored 3 goals in 31 appearances for the club before he moved to the English Championship team,  Middlesbrough during the 2019 winter transfer window. After he was released by Middlesbrough at the end of the 2018–19 season, Mikel Obi joined Trabzonspor on a two-year contract in the summer of 2019. The Nigerian footballer left Trabzonspor in March 2020 by mutual consent. He now plays for the EFL Championship side Stoke City. He signed a one-year contract with the club on 17 August 2020.

On the international scene, John Mikel Obi played for Nigeria for more than 10 years, representing them in several friendlies and competitions. These include the Africa Nations Cup in 2008 & 2013. He helped the nation to win it in 2013. He also took part in the 2016 Olympics (as captain). In 2019, Mikel Obi retired from international football.

His Family, Who Is Mikel’s Wife?

Mikel Obi is from Nigeria. His dad, Michael Obi (after whom he is named) is from the Eastern part of Nigeria as well as his mom. They lived in Jos in Plateau state Nigeria and it was there they had Mikel. Michael was a civil servant and upon retirement, ran a transport company. In August 2011 and during the 2018 World Cup, Mr. Michael was kidnapped in Nigeria but released on both occasions. His mom, Irosu Obi is a businesswoman.

Ebere Obi and Patrick Obi are Mikel’s elder and younger brothers respectively. Ebere Obi is with Heartland as a goalkeeper while Patrick popularly called Edgar Obi is a musician with MMM Records.

See Also: Antonio Rüdiger Biography, Stats, Family, Salary, and Net Worth

Mikel has twin daughters, Ava and Mia Obi with his wife/partner, Olga Diyachenko whom he met in 2013. Olga, a Russian businesswoman, gave birth to the girls in September 2015. Mikel reportedly has two other kids with two other women, a 4-year-old daughter, and a 7-year-old son.

The exceptional football player is currently enjoying his time with Olga and his twin daughters. They made a stop in Nigeria where he laid down plans for a football program. They moved on to the Maldives and pictures of them having fun have flooded the net. Mikel hopes to continue his holiday till the resumption of the league in China next year, 2019.

Salary and Net Worth, Is Mikel Richer Than 2Face?

In Chelsea, John Michael Obi’s weekly basic pay was reportedly about £82,000. He was said to earn even more in Tianjin TEDA F.C., up to the tune of £140,000.  He signed a deal worth $4 Million with Kuwait FC before his deal was terminated.

As of this writing, the Nigerian former footballer is believed to be worth over $45 Million

A football career resonates among Nigerians as much as a career in music. 2Face (Innocent Ujah Idibia) is one of the finest Nigerian musicians and probably the most popular, just as Mikel dominated the country’s football scene for years. As such, people often compare 2Face and Mikel’s career in terms of how lucrative it has been. Even though we haven’t been able to authenticate this in any way, various sources have estimated that 2Face is worth anything between $14 to over $22 million.

Judging by that, one can conclude that Mikel is richer than 2Face. As of when this report was filed, we converted his net worth which is in Pounds sterling to USD, which leaves him with a net value of over  $45 Million.