Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel has revealed that ex Chelsea manager Antonio Conte kept him out of his squad after he decided to play for Dream Team VI at the 2016 Olympics.
John Obi Mikel was called up by coach Samson Siasia for Nigeria’s campaign in Rio de Janeiro and he was the leader of the team that finished third in the competition.
After coming back from the tournament, Mikel was kept out of Conte’s squad, which led to his joining the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Teda.
His words to NFF Media, “For me, it was a decision I had to take because when the opportunity came up to either go to Rio or play for Chelsea,”
“I decided that Victor Moses, who was the younger and hasn’t played yet for the club, should stay back while I go to the Olympics.
“Victor stayed back and I went but when I got back the manager never spoke to me again and did not even put me in the team, so I had to leave the club.
“For me, my commitment to play for the national team will never change until I stop playing.”
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