John Mikel Obi has plenty of praise for one specific Premier League player and has described him as the most important in the English elite division.
Speaking on his Obi One podcast, the former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder talked about his heydays with the Stamford Bridge side and had positive things to say about the club and his former teammates.
Mikel Obi pointed at John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba as the most vital players on the team. He also spoke of his importance to the Chelsea side.
While praising the Barcelona side of his era, the former Super Eagles captain was drawn into comparison with todayโs Premier League teams, and he had plenty of positive things to say of one player.
Mikel Obi names Rodri as most important
Mikel Obi had plenty of praise for Premier League leaders Manchester City, describing their performances as awesome, but he believes one player makes the team tick.
The former Super Eagles captain has picked Man City midfielder Rodri as the most important Premier League player. He believes he is the reason Pep Guardiolaโs team ticks.
While praising Bernardo Silva, Mikel Obi believes that Rodri is on another level, and his absence could cause problems for the Sky Blues.
Speaking of Rodri, Mikel Obi compared him to former France and Real Madrid midfield honcho Claude Makelele, but he believes that Rodri has redefined the Makelele role.
"Rodri is the most important player in the premier league"
– Mikel Obi pic.twitter.com/Yq5ZjTbbLl
— ๐ฌ @๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ (@OneJoblessBoy) November 10, 2023
Obi was all praise for Rodri, as he praised his defensive and positional play, ball control and how he dictated the game.
Mikel Obi also praised some legends of the position – Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Sergio Busquets, but the former Chelsea man said that Rodri is not just the best in the Premier League but the best ever.
Mikel Obi admits Rodri is better than he ever was
Of course, comparisons drew to Rodri vs Obi, but the Nigerian meekly agreed that the Spaniard is a better player than he ever was.
Obi said during his time, he was told to sit deep because they had the likes of Frank Lampard playing further forward, but Rodri combines every quality.
He stopped short of calling Rodri the complete midfielder, but despite the inputs of players like Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, the Spanish midfielder is head and shoulders above them according to the ex-Nigeria captain.
On a final note, Mikel Obi opined there is no Man City without Rodri.
Many would question the accolades poured on Rodri, but for now, itโs hard to argue against.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
