‘He has forgiven me,’ Mikel reunites with Ferguson after 19 years

Mikel Obi, the former Super Eagles captain, has finally received forgiveness from Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary manager, after being embroiled in a prolonged and complex transfer saga that has been one of the most controversial in football history.

In 2005, Mikel was a highly sought-after young talent playing for Lyn Oslo in Norway, with Manchester United actively pursuing his signature.

Mikel’s transfer to Manchester United from Lyn Oslo appeared to be a done deal, with the club announcing the signing and even hosting a press conference featuring the young Nigerian player donning the United jersey.

However, the move shockingly collapsed when Chelsea intervened, and Mikel later revealed that he felt coerced into the transfer.

“I signed a contract with Manchester United and I didn’t do that of my own free will,” Mikel told Sky Sports News in 2006.

“I was put under a lot of pressure to do that. I was denied advice from my agent and people I trust and I didn’t get much time to think about that.

“I did something I did not want to do. Because of the pressure from Mr Morgan (Andersen, Lyn’s sporting director) and a representative of United it became too much.

“I was pushed and I had nobody on my side so I had to do it.

“I was denied a chance to have a week to think about it and get some independent advice from people so the pressure was too much.

According to several reports, Ferguson was due to fly to Norway for crisis talks but had to cancel his trip after he was told that the Nigerian had gone missing from training in Norway, and was thought to be heading to London for talks with Chelsea.

Eventually, he became a Blues’ player and would spend 11 trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge.

Years later, on his podcast, Mikel revealed that when Chelsea played Manchester United, he was afraid of meeting Ferguson on the touchline. And when they eventually met each other, the retired Scottish manager had a dreadful look on his face.

Nineteen years later, the retired footballer met with Ferguson on the night of the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley where both parties had a nice time.

On his Instagram post, Mikel shared a picture of himself with Ferguson with the caption, “He has forgiven me.”

Fresh from his impressive performance at the 2005 Under-17 FIFA World Cup, where he represented Nigeria, Mikel emerged as one of the most promising young football talents globally. Later, during his stint with Chelsea, he amassed an impressive haul of silverware, including two Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one Europa League title, four FA Cups, two League Cups, and one Community Shield title.