"Show respect": Mikel slams players of African descent choosing Africa as 2nd option

• Mikel Obi has stated that Africa is not a dumping ground for footballers and descents should stop taking their heritage as a second option
• The former Chelsea star, in a podcast, urged players who preferred to play for other countries to stick to their plans
• According to him, it should not be that until these players get ignored by their preferred country before they remember the motherland

Nigerian football legend Mikel Obi has urged players of African descent to respect the continent when choosing their international football career path.

The former Chelsea midfielder, who retired in 2022, lamented that footballers with African roots only make the decision to play for the black continent when their preferred country ignores them.

A number of players of African descent currently play for their heritage at the international level, and Mikel expressed concerns.

Mikel Obi is unimpressed that some players see Africa as a second option. Photo: Pakawich Damrongkiattisak.
Source: Getty Images

Many believe that the current crop of players representing their motherland is unserious, reflecting how they get on the teams.

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Mikel told Obione Podcast, via Daily Post:

“They say they wanna play for England or France or whatever it is, and then they wait. They keep waiting and keep waiting.“When they get to 25 or 26 and they don’t get a call up from England, then they call Nigeria. We shouldn’t be treated like second options, we are not second options.“If you decide you want to play for England, stick to it. Sit and wait. If you don’t get a call-up, you don’t get a call-up. "But don’t wait until you’re 29 or 30 and then you call the Nigerian FA to tell them you’re ready to play for them."

Mikel hails Modric

Legit.ng earlier reported that Mikel Obi congratulated Luka Modric after the Croatian extended his contract at Real Madrid for another season until the summer of 2025.

It had been initially announced that Modric, who had been at Madrid since 2013 will leave at the end of last season but later reversed his decision and continued at Santiago Bernabeu.

It remains unclear why he was at the facilities of the 15-time European champions, but from the indications, he enjoyed reuniting with former boss Carlo Ancelotti and teammate Thibaut Courtois.

Source: Legit.ng