Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former Super Eagles captain and Chelsea legend John Mikel Obi has launched a scathing attack on Arsenal fans following the club's failed attempt to sign Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, questioning why the Brazilian would ever leave the Spanish giants for a club that has won only one Premier League title in more than two decades. Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel did not hold back as he ridiculed the Gunners' supporters for believing that the 26-year-old forward would swap the Bernabeu for the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel, who spent 11 trophy-laden years at Chelsea and knows a thing or two about winning, pointed to Real Madrid's unparalleled pedigree as the most successful club in world football. "This guy has been around Madrid, a team that has won the Champions League 15 times, won La Liga so many times. The most successful football club in the world," Mikel said. "One of the best players in the club, one of the marquee names of the football club. He's going to leave all that and come to Arsenal? A team that has won one Premier League title for such a long time. A team that hasn't been successful in recent years. Why will he do that?"
The former Chelsea midfielder's comments were delivered with a healthy dose of sarcasm as he questioned the logic behind Arsenal's ambitious pursuit. "I just think it was only the Arsenal fans that believed that was going to happen. I don't know what they were smoking," Mikel said. He also reminded Arsenal supporters that winning the league after 22 years does not automatically make them "one of the big boys" again. "You win the league after 22 years and then you all of a sudden think: that's it, you've arrived, you're one of the big boys again. No, you're not," he declared. "They've just been humbled because I said it: there's no way Vinicius Junior is leaving Real Madrid to go to Arsenal, a club that's won one title in 22 years".
Mikel had previously warned Arsenal fans to "forget" about Vinicius, insisting the winger was only using the Gunners' interest as leverage to secure a better contract at Real Madrid. "He's not coming. Forget about that. He's just using Arsenal to get a better deal. He's not leaving Real Madrid," Mikel had said earlier. That prediction proved accurate when Vinicius signed a new six-year contract with Real Madrid, committing his future to the club until June 2032.
The saga began when Arsenal, fresh off their Premier League title triumph, made an ambitious proposal to lure Vinicius away from Madrid. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was reportedly "absolutely smitten" with the idea of signing the Brazilian, and the move was approved "at all levels" at the Emirates. However, Real Madrid held firm and eventually reached an agreement with the winger on a lucrative new deal that makes him the second-highest earner at the club, ahead of Jude Bellingham and captain Federico Valverde.
Mikel, who played for Nigeria at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and was a key member of the Super Eagles squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, also took a dig at Arsenal's lack of Champions League success. "He's tasted what it feels like winning the Champions League, Arsenal have never won the Champions League. Zero," Mikel said. "You expect a player who has won the Champions League with Real Madrid to leave that?"
The former Chelsea midfielder also highlighted that Arsenal fans had attacked him when he first made his prediction. "When I said that, all the Arsenal fans attacked me, saying they would show me when Vinicius joins them. But that was my opinion, I never thought he would leave Madrid. I think he was using you to get a better deal at Madrid," Mikel said.
The failed pursuit has left Arsenal searching for alternatives. Reports have linked the Gunners with Chelsea winger Pedro Neto and other frontline options as they look to build on their Premier League-winning campaign. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, now under the management of Jose Mourinho, continue to assemble a formidable squad capable of challenging for European honours.
For Arsenal fans, the bitter pill of missing out on one of the world's best players has been made even more difficult to swallow by Mikel's brutal assessment of their club's standing in world football. As the former Chelsea midfielder put it, winning the league after 22 years does not make you one of the big boys. And with Vinicius now committed to Real Madrid for the long term, Arsenal must look elsewhere to strengthen their attack, while Mikel Obi can sit back and enjoy the satisfaction of being proven right.
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