2012 final: UCL celebrates the night Mikel Obi showed the world what midfield composure means

The UEFA Champions League has paid tribute to Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel, celebrating his iconic performance in Chelsea’s historic 2012 final victory over Bayern Munich. 

On the anniversary of that unforgettable night, the official Champions League account posted a video over a minute long, showing Mikel’s composure and midfield dominance at the Allianz Arena.

The video, which quickly garnered attention across social media, highlighted Mikel’s crucial tackles, intelligent positioning, and calm distribution under immense pressure as Chelsea overcame Bayern on penalties to lift their first-ever Champions League trophy. 

The post was simply captioned: “John Obi Mikel’s composure in the 2012 final,” a nod to the Nigerian’s man-of-the-match calibre display on one of European football’s biggest stages.

Mikel’s performance, often cited by fans and pundits as one of the most underrated in Champions League history, was instrumental in Chelsea’s win, especially with the team missing several key players due to suspension. 

His ability to shield the defence and launch attacks from deep midfield drew widespread praise, with former teammate Didier Drogba even referring to Mikel as a “playmaker” in his own tribute.

The Champions League’s celebration of Mikel Obi’s 2012 final display serves as a reminder of his legacy as one of Africa’s greatest midfielders and a Chelsea icon whose composure under pressure helped deliver European glory to Stamford Bridge.

Since then, the former Super Eagles skipper has retired to punditry, becoming a top voice in football through his podcast on YouTube.