John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel is a Jekyll and Hyde player who often looks a totally different performer in the green of Nigeria than he does in Chelsea blue.
The 27-year-old occupies the deep-lying holding role for his club and barely ventures beyond the halfway line in the Premier League.
However, when he is on international duty he plays with a freedom and swagger that belies his status as a defensive rock at Chelsea.
The strong, robust midfielder seems to shed his inhibitions when playing for his country, strutting around like the linchpin of their attacking moves and popping up in the opposition penalty area to get the occasional goal.
The Obi Mikel tag has stuck ever since the Nigeria Football Association botched his paperwork ahead of a FIFA youth tournament and registered him wrongly.
Whatever he is known as, he has enjoyed a superb career at Stamford Bridge and even if his days there are numbered now, expect him to play a pivotal role for his country in June.