Two great Nigerian players reached the pinnacle of their careers playing for Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea in the English Premier League
Chelsea midfielder Leslie Ugochukwu has confessed that he admired John Obi Mikel and Austin Okocha when he was a child, Soccernet.ng reported.
Okocha played for Bolton Wanderers from 2002 to 2006, joining on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
The talented playmaker scored 14 Premier League goals in 124 games for Bolton and has since been regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever players.
In the same year that Okocha left Bolton and made a name for himself at Stamford Bridge, Mikel joined Chelsea from Lyn Oslo.
The former Super Eagles captain won two league titles, four FA Cup honors and won the Europa League in 2013.
However, Mikel’s best moment came in the UEFA Champions League final, where he put in a great performance and Chelsea won the competition for the first time.
Ugochukwu, who has Nigerian roots, revealed that he was inspired by Okocha and Mikel’s performances at Chelsea.
The former Stade Rennais player told chelseafc.com: “Most of the time I saw him on TV was with Mourinho.
“It was a great time. He was a very important player for Chelsea. If you’re from Nigeria, the names Jay-Jay Okocha and Obi Mikel always come up.
“What Mikel did at Chelsea really inspired me as a midfielder. He was calm. He had composure. He had confidence. This is very important for midfielders to give confidence to the team.
“He was strong and aggressive even when he didn’t have the ball. That’s the kind of player I like. I want to be as successful as him.”
Ugochukwu signed for €27 million from Rennes in August and has made nine Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
