‘Come on PSG’: Nigeria icon Mikel Obi dumps Arsenal to back French giants in UEFA Champions League final

• Super Eagles legend John Mikel Obi has broken North London hearts by openly throwing his weight behind Paris Saint-Germain for tonight's UCL final.

• Speaking live from the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the former Chelsea star labelled the match an epic "attack vs. defence" chess match.

• Mikel highlighted that while Arsenal boast Europe's best defensive block, PSG possess the raw individual quality to create goals out of absolutely nothing.

With the countdown officially active for this evening’s blockbuster 2026 UEFA Champions League Final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Puskas Arena, Chelsea icon John Mikel Obi has completely discarded Premier League loyalty.

While millions of English football fans across Nigeria are desperately praying for Mikel Arteta’s men to secure their maiden continental crown, Mikel took to the pitch in Budapest to drop a video that will have the Gunners completely losing their minds. 

Standing inside the magnificent stadium, the former midfielder proudly declared: “Come on PSG.”

Mikel is no stranger to the intense psychological warfare of a Champions League final, having famously lifted the trophy with Chelsea in 2012. 

The Nigerian icon admitted that Arsenal’s return to the biggest club stage after a 20-year hiatus is a massive storyline, but he believes the French giants hold the ultimate wildcard.

“We're here in lovely Budapest, and this is where the final 2026 Champions League final is gonna be played between Arsenal and PSG. Come on PSG... I'm really looking forward to this one, it's gonna be a great game, it's gonna be a fantastic game, some great individual qualities we'll see today."

Analysing how the distinct tactical philosophies will clash on the pitch, Mikel noted that the game will come down to Arsenal's rigid team structure trying to survive against PSG's unhinged individual brilliance.

"I think Arsenal have a team. PSG have a really good team as well, but in terms of individual qualities, you know, they have players, they can create something out of nothing. So it's gonna be an interesting one.”

As we previously covered in our deep dive on how Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's ridiculous +6 xG overperformance is Enrique's secret weapon, Arsenal's centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are facing a literal mathematical anomaly tonight.

Mikel echoed this exact sentiment, labelling the Champions League final showdown as a classic, high-stakes game of cat and mouse where a single set-piece or individual piece of magic will settle the trophy.

“This is the final, you never know. It's a one-off game. Anything can happen, you know, as we know, Arsenal with a set piece, corner kick. Soak up the pressure, defend, game over. PSG have players that can unlock any defence as well, so Arsenal have the best defence in Europe so far. They defend really well, so it's pretty much going to be like attack vs. defence. So let's see how it plays out.”

With kickoff scheduled for exactly 5:00 PM WAT tonight, Mikel’s provocative prediction has added a premium drama to an already boiling fixture.