John Obi Mikel says that African players pay an extra tax because they often have to take care of extended family and friends back home.
The footballer who used to play for Chelsea and Nigeria said that some players are “threatened by their own blood” if they don’t help raise money.
“When you come from Africa—and I don’t think we talk about this enough—when you make money, it’s not your money,” Mikel said on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with FIVE.
“You have a lot of family members, uncles, and other relatives.
The girls you gave me got married to some guys. He only wants to marry into John Obi Mikel’s family because he will feel like “his life is set.”
“You take care of this guy and send money to your sister. The money goes to him, and he does what he wants with it.”
“Nobody knows this, but your money is not your money.”
“You get paid and say, ‘I’ll save this for this person, that for that person, and that for my parents.'” You’ll get less than them before you know it.
“That’s the way things are.” That’s what they want you to do. You owe them something.
“We need to tell this story. This is something that a lot of young African players need to hear because they will be in the same position.
“They will need to know how to deal with this.”
Mikel says that players need to be strong if they decide to stop giving money to other players because they might get in trouble.
“You have to say, ‘Enough is enough; I don’t care’ sometimes.” “That time for me was about five years ago,” the 36-year-old said.
“I told them, ‘No more,’ because I’ve been doing this since I began playing football.
“You turn into the bad guy. They no longer answer the phone when you call. They call you all the time, not to see how you’re doing but to ask, “What are you giving me?”
“You need to be strong.” I was doing a lot for my family.
“All you do is keep giving, and they are so comfortable that they expect you to do that for the rest of your life.”
Mikel says that players could even be forced to admit their feelings.
“They say, ‘If you don’t do it [pay], we’ll go to the press.'”
“You think, ‘You are family.'” “After everything I’ve done for you guys?”
“In Africa, some people don’t talk about this because they don’t know how to.
“You get threatened by your own blood.”
Mikel has also been thinking about what it was like when his father was taken twice, since Liverpool forward Luis Diaz recently went through the same thing.
The father of the Colombian player was set free on November 9 after being held captive for 12 days.
During that time, Diaz missed two club games, but he got back together with Luis Manuel Diaz on Tuesday. On Thursday, he scored twice for his country against Brazil while his father watched from the stands.
Mikel thinks that these kinds of kidnappings can have long-lasting effects on a player’s mental and emotional health, even if the result is good.
“You remember this kind of thing even after your family and friends are back home,” Mikel told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s too bad that we are targets. Anyone would have a hard time with that, and I hope no one has to go through it.
In 2011, Mikel’s dad, Pa Michael Obi, was held captive for ten days before being freed. Then, in 2018, he was taken again. Mikel found out while getting ready to play for Nigeria against Argentina at the World Cup in Russia.
“Minutes before one of the biggest games of my career, my dad was taken.”
“He was scared, and I felt uneasy while I was playing on the field.” It was a terrible event for me.
“It’s a situation where you feel utterly helpless.”
Mikel has stressed how important it is for football clubs, organizations, and governing bodies to put the mental health and overall well-being of players going through such traumatic situations first. He has also encouraged footballers and their families to get professional help and support when they need it.
Osimhen sees Chelsea as the “ideal stage.”
Mikel is making noise in the world of radio with his own show, The Obi One Podcast. He now lives in Dubai.
Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli and Nigeria, was a recent guest. He talked about how he turned down a possible move to Saudi Arabia earlier this year for the “good of his career.”
“It would have been a dream” to play with the 24-year-old, who is in the running for African Footballer of the Year and was Napoli’s top scorer in Serie A last year as they won their first title in 33 years.
And Mikel wants Osimhen to move to London to play for his old team, Chelsea. He thinks Osimhen has what it takes to be as successful at Stamford Bridge as the famous Ivory Coast scorer Didier Drogba.
Mikel said, “His skill and desire to fight are clear.”
“Didier Drogba did very well at Stamford Bridge.” Because Osimhen is African, he can keep going in that direction.
“Chelsea is the ideal stage for Victor Osimhen to continue his career.”
