Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, has reflected on his memories from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations even as he revealed the one player who always made him nervous whenever he met him on the pitch.
The former Chelsea midfielder confessed that he was often intimidated by playing against Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba during their careers. While both Mikel and Drogba were teammates at Chelsea FC, facing Drogba at the international level was a different story.
In a video shared on CAFonline’s social media on Saturday which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York, Mikel explained that he feared Drogba because the Ivorian forward had a knack for scoring goals in almost every game they played against each other.
‘Obviously, the player I never wanted to meet, that I was lucky I didn’t meet quite a lot, was Didier Drogba. You know, I was always scared of meeting him. Because I knew at some point in the game he will score.’ he said.
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Africa Today News, New York recalls that the 2013 AFCON tournament when Nigeria took on Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinals, winning 2-1 thanks to a thunderous strike from Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Mba’s goal, which advanced Nigeria to the semifinals against Mali.
Reports from that time suggested that the Nigeria Football Federation had already inquired about return tickets for the Super Eagles, as they were considered underdogs against the formidable Ivorian team.
In the upcoming AFCON tournament, Nigeria has been placed in the same group as the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, setting the stage for another potential showdown.
Meanwhile, ahead of the 2023 African Cup of Nations tournament which resumes in a few months, Drogba has tagged Nigeria’s Super Eagles as one of the favourites to win it.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the host, Ivory Coast will face the Super Eagles in the second group game and the former Chelsea attacker admitted that it would be tough for both sides.