“Fake news” – Ex-Super Eagles captain Mikel debunks reports claiming he belittled 2018 Ballon d’Or winner

Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has come out to debunk rumours claiming he talked down on Luka Modric before the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 37-year-old was reported to have favoured Karim Adeyemi's side in the heated clash that went down at the Wembley Stadium. There were claims the ex-Super Eagles captain said he had enough of Madrid players who were not good enough to win the UCL but were fortunate to be a part of a star-studded team who had lifted the trophy several times.

Following a lot of online backlash, the 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist came out to debunk the news, revealing he never made such a statement.

“That's bulls**t. The human being who'd come out and say that Luka Modric, Carvajal, Kroos and Nacho are not good enough is unbelievable. These guys are world-class footballers. I never said something like that, and I'll never say something like that. If you see someone who says something like that, you'd think he's insane. That was fake news,” Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast.

Additionally, he tipped UEFA Champions League final goalscorer and Euro 2024 winner, Dani Carvajal to win the most prestigious individual award in football.

“Carvajal is probably a Ballon d'Or nominee. For someone who knows the game and plays the game, I can never say something like that. I met Luka and he was all smiles. He didn't even believe I'd say something like that. My utmost respect goes out to these guys, they've made football what it is today. They're the legends of the game, Legends of Real Madrid. They've won the Champions League six times, and you say they're not good? Come on,” the 2013 AFCON winner concluded.

Real Madrid are currently on their pre-season tour in the United States. Nigeria's Samuel Chukwueze scored the only goal of the game when AC Milan took on Los Blancos earlier today.