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Nigeria captain, John Obi Mikel has disclosed that former Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, left him out of his squad for opting to play for Dream Team VI at the 2016 Olympics.
Mikel was called up by coach Samson Siasia for the country’s campaign at Rio de Janeiro and he led the team to a bronze medal.
Following his return from the tournament, the midfielder was frozen out of Conte’s squad, which made him seek a greener pasture in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Teda.
“For me, it was a decision I had to take when the opportunity came up to either go to Rio or play for Chelsea,” Mikel told the NFF media.
“I decided that Victor Moses, who was the younger and hasn’t played yet for the club, should stay back, while I go to the Olympics.
“Victor stayed back and I went, but when I got back the manager never spoke to me again and did not even put me in the team, so I had to leave the club.
“For me, my commitment to play for the national team will never change until I stop playing.”
After a decent campaign with Middlesbrough in the second half of the 2018-19 season, Mikel has switched his attention to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which starts in Egypt on June 21.
Nigeria is in Group B of the showpiece and will begin her campaign for a fourth AFCON title against Burundi at the Alexandria Stadium, on June 22.
