John Obi Mikel, Super Eagles of Nigeria, Tianjin TEDA of China and former Chelsea of England midfielder, 30, April 22. Born in Jos, Plateau State, Mikel started his official football career at the age of 12 when picked as a talented footballer from over 3,000 young talents to play in Pepsi Football Academy. Obi stood out to scouts and was later picked to play for top-flight club Plateau United. He started his international career at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships in 2003 and had gone ahead to represent Nigeria at the Under 20 tournament in 2005, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the senior national team including the nation’s cup and world cup. On March 24, 2016, Mikel was named captain of the Nigeria national football team. On January 6, 2017, Mikel joined Chinese club Tianjin TEDA on a free transfer from Chelsea Football Club of England where he played for more than 11 years.

—  Apr 24, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT