The Obi One Podcast

In this episode of Taking the Mikel, John Obi and Chris McHardy delve into Chelsea’s recent woes. From defeats on the pitch to key players speaking out on Enzo Maresca’s departure. What does it all mean for Liam Rosenior? Mikel doesn’t hold back on his assessment. Simply put: it’s Champions League or bust. The guys also discuss Roberto de Zerbi’s appointment as Tottenham’s new boss and why it spells trouble for the club’s underperforming stars. Mikel also makes an admission that might not go down too well with his fellow Chelsea fans. The guys also discuss Mohamed Salah’s next destination as he gears up to leave Liverpool, plus Mikel launches into an impassioned tirade over the “ludicrous” decision to strip Senegal of their African Cup of Nations title. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy are in Nairobi in this episode of the podcast to catch up with Kenyan trailblazers: brothers MacDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama. First up, Mariga lifts the lid on working with José Mourinho, becoming the first player from Kenya to lift the UEFA Championd League and why a potential move to Manchester City was scuppered. He also gives his take on the current state of the Kenyan game and African football as a whole. Wanyama follows as he reflects on a career that took him to England via Celtic to play for Southampton and Tottenham under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino. He also weighs in on the debate as to who is the greatest player in African football history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou have had a brotherly bond since their days together at Chelsea. And that unique friendship is on display here as the two men reunite for a candid and, at times, hilarious jaunt down memory lane. Here, Kalou recounts the lengths José Mourinho went to scout him in person at Feyenoord, his first meeting with Roman Abramovich at a place where ‘everyone signed on the dotted line’ and why he wasn’t so keen on Didier Drogba’s expensive Ferrari! Mikel can’t resist teasing his friend over one of the more unique hairstyles we’ve seen in the Premier League, and why he always had to have a stocked fridge! Kalou also finally reveals what really happened between himself and Michael Ballack that led to their infamous training ground dust-up. Settle in for this one, as two Chelsea greats chew the fat about the glory days on the pitch, and the mad times off it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Things get heated in this episode of Taking the Mikel as John Obi can’t hide his disgust at what he calls Arsenal’s “cheat code”: their set-pieces. No one is safe as the former Chelsea man hits out at Mikel Arteta and the standard of officiating in the Premier League. But is there an ulterior motive? All is revealed. Mikel and Chris also weigh into the debate over Michael Carrick’s long-term future as Manchester United with both debating the merits of two other candidates. Igor Tudor comes under fire too after his winless start to life as Tottenham boss continues, and Mikel finds time to criticise Liam Rosenior over his use of Chelsea’s talisman Cole Palmer. And finally, how many of this current Arsenal side would make the Invincibles XI of 2004? The guys have their say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking the Mikel is back with a bang as John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy run the rule over a controversial week. First up, the race for the Premier League title, and Mikel refuses to get carried away with Arsenal’s 4-1 at Tottenham for one major reason. Doubts over this Chelsea team linger, but Mikel has Liam Rosenior’s back when it comes to trolling on social media. John and Chris also wade into the racism storm involving Vinicius Junior and the incendiary post-match comments of José Mourinho. John pleads with his former boss and weighs in on Mark Clattenburg’s ill-advised remarks too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luís Figo is a footballing icon. One of the greatest players of his generation, a Ballon d’Or winner and the subject of one of the most controversial and talked about transfers of all time. Here, the Portuguese sits down with John and Chris at the Melia Desert Palm in Dubai to reflect on his illustrious career, and set the record straight once and for all. So what does he REALLY think of Cristiano Ronaldo and his place among the game’s pantheon? And what of his bid to one day become UEFA president? Luís also takes us into the inner workings of his transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000, a move that shocked the world. What was the catalyst, how did his family deal with the fallout and most pressing of all: does he have any regrets? Figo also talks us into the inner sanctum of Real’s Galacticos, picks the team’s best player and reveals just how close he came to a move to the English Premier League. Luís Figo was speaking to the Obi One Podcast to celebrate La Liga’s partnership with Meliá Hotels International in the Middle East. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Obi One Podcast is on the road again, this time in Abidjan for a live event with special guest Wilfried Bony. A cult hero at Swansea, a League Cup winner with Manchester City and an African champion with his beloved Ivory Coast, Bony looks back on his career and some of the sliding door moments within it. he came close to a move to Arsenal after a clandestine meeting with then boss Arsene Wenger, why he spurned the riches on offer in China and the rollercoaster of emotions that he went through in winning the African Cup of Nations in 2015. Bony also discusses the dressing dynamics of that Ivory Coast team which featured both Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. Who was the top dog? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diego Costa is a two-time Premier League winner, a Chelsea cult hero, and a man who gave many a defender sleepless nights He remains, however, somewhat of an enigma. In this exclusive interview, Diego sits down with his former Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy to set the record straight. Is he the snarling, aggressive man we see on the pitch or simply misunderstood? So, why did he leave Chelsea? And what does he REALLY think of the man who engineered his exit: Antonio Conte? Unsurprisingly for a man who never backed down from a fight on the pitch, he doesn’t hold back. Costa also outlines what makes Diego Simeone and José Mourinho so special, has his say on his bad boy image label, and takes us back to the night of the infamous Battle of the Bridge against Tottenham. He also explains why Didier Drogba will always be ‘God’ and names the striker he’d pick ahead of Erling Haaland today. Hold onto your hats, folks, for this unfiltered and unflinching conversation with a Blues great. It’s Diego Costa unleashed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Obi One Podcast is on the road again, this time back in Istanbul to chat to Besiktas’ cult hero Atiba Hutchinson. The Canadian spent a decade with the club, winning three league titles and a Turkish Cup during that period to establish himself as one of the club’s greatest ever players. Alongside a coterie of die-hard Besiktas fans, John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy quiz the Canadian on life in Turkey, the impact both José Mourinho and Victor Osimhen have had on the league and what life was like under former managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Slaven Bilić. There’s also Hutchinson’s thoughts on the current Canadian team and whether they have what it takes to shock the world next summer at the World Cup Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Year, New Managers! We kick things off with why Maresca’s exit felt like an “accident waiting to happen” — and John Obi Mikel asks the big question: what’s Chelsea’s objective right now? Then it’s on to Manchester United: ownership chaos, and why the biggest names won’t walk into a job where they’re expected to be a yes-man. And finally, Nigeria. Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel gives his take on Victor Osimhen’s passion — and how far this team can really go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Settle in, folks as John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy bring you this extended version of Taking the Mikel, and for good reason, as there’s no shortage of talking points. In this episode, the guys try to decipher Enzo Maresca’s cryptic post-match comments as Chelsea return to winning ways, while Mikel has some friendly advice for the Blues boss. Mikel also weighs into the spat between Mohamed Salah, Liverpool and Jamie Carragher, and he doesn’t hold back either assessing Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations chances. The guys clash as they discuss the biggest headache facing England boss Thomas Tuchel: who gets the nod in that No10 position? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He’s one of the most recognisable faces in the UK for his work on - and off - the pitch. A prolific goalscorer for England turned host of the BBC’s iconic Match of the Day TV programme. Now embarking on a new chapter with his hugely-popular The Rest is Football podcast, Gary Lineker sits down with John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy to reminisce. And there’s plenty on the agenda. From his fallout with Johan Cruyff to his close bond with Terry Venables, and from the embarrassment of shitting himself at Italia ‘90 to the heartbreak of losing a World Cup semi-final. And there’s questions. What hurt more? Defeat to Diego Maradona’s Argentina in ‘86 or that loss to Germany in ‘90? Who is better - Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard? And why is Cristiano Ronaldo not on Lionel Messi or Maradona’s level. He also speaks powerfully about his son’s childhood leukaemia battle, how it changed his outlook on life, and why being able to look himself in the mirror matters more than any headline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy are back in the hotseats as they pour over Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with league leaders Arsenal. Did Moises Caicedo deserve his red card? And what did we learn about Chelsea as again, in the big games, they come to the fore. Obi has words of praise for an embattled star AND one of Enzo Maresca’s trusted lieutenants, while he again questions whether Arsenal have what it takes to finally rid themselves of the “bottlers” tag. There’s also war stories from Obi’s career during UK winters, with the snood - a favourite among many footballers - coming under attack. Plus a former Blues defender is hailed after guiding Flamengo to Copa Libertadores success in South America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Obi Mikel is in Madrid to catch up with arguably the greatest left-back in the history of the game: Roberto Carlos. In this wide-ranging interview, the Brazilian legend opens up on what life was like as a Real Madrid ‘Galactico’. The highs, the lows, and the stories from inside one of the most famous dressing rooms of all-time. What was it like playing with Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane? What REALLY led to the fight between Thomas Gravesen and Robinho? And who was the greatest of them all? His answer might surprise you. Roberto also takes us into the Brazilian dressing room before the 1998 World Cup Final? What is the truth behind Ronaldo’s ‘injury’? And just how good was Ronaldinho? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s only one thing on John Obi Mikel’s mind in this episode of Taking the Mikel: Nigeria’s failure to reach the World Cup Finals. Again. The former Super Eagles captain calls for every member of the NFF to stand down in the wake of their defeat to DR Congo, opens the door to joining a new-look board IF certain criteria is met and asks the question: why hasn’t any African nation used ‘voodoo practices’ to actually win the World Cup? Eric Chelle’s long-term future as coach also comes under the microscope while Obi Mikel makes no secret of the fact over who he’ll be supporting next summer now. A must-listen for all Nigerian football fans struggling to come to terms with their side’s World Cup demise and eager to see a regime chance at the top of the Nigerian Football Federation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices