Former Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has alleged that John Obi Mikel used his influence in the Super Eagles to prevent some players from being invited to the national team, Soccernet.ng reports.
Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, Onazi claimed that Mikel, who captained Nigeria to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2013, had grown so influential within the squad that his views could shape who made the team.
While careful to acknowledge Mikel’s seniority and status, former Lazio man Onazi suggested that not all of that influence was used in ways he agreed with.
“Mikel Obi was too influential when he was in the Super Eagles,” Onazi said.
“When Mikel was playing, there were some players because of his influence, he made for them not be invited to the Super Eagles.
“He is my senior man. But there are things he did that I didn’t like.
“One of such players was Tony Nwakeme. Mikel said it himself when we were eating in a restaurant in Istanbul and he apologized to him. This is one of many.”
The comments have inevitably drawn attention to the international career of Tony Nwakaeme, one of Nigeria’s most consistent performers in European football over the past decade. Yet, the Trabzonspor winger finished his international career with just a single cap.
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Mikel and Nwakaeme: contrasting international careers
Nwakaeme’s club career tells a story of persistence and success across several leagues.
After early years in Scandinavia and Romania, he built a formidable reputation in Israel, where he became a title-winning star with Hapoel Be’er Sheva and was named the league’s best player in 2017.
His move to Trabzonspor in 2018 only enhanced his standing, as he became one of the Turkish club’s most influential attackers and a fan favourite.
Yet, despite that résumé, his Nigeria career amounted to just one appearance; a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against Algeria in November 2017. In April 2019, he publicly stated that he believed he deserved more opportunities.
Onazi’s claim suggests that this disconnect between club form and international opportunity may not have been purely technical.
The backdrop to this is the immense authority Mikel held within the national team setup after 2013.
A Champions League winner with Chelsea and captain of Nigeria’s AFCON-winning side, he was a central figure for more than a decade, winning two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and Europe’s biggest club prize during an 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
Internationally, he won AFCON in 2013, Olympic bronze in 2016, and represented Nigeria at two World Cups and five AFCON tournaments.
Onazi himself was a key part of that golden period, playing every minute of Nigeria’s knockout matches on the way to the 2013 title and starting all four games at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
