John Obi Mikel moved from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo to Chelsea in 2006 after a year-long legal dispute with Manchester United. The teenager had been photographed in a Manchester United shirt in 2005, prompting competing claims after Chelsea asserted a prior agreement with the player and his representatives. The transfer completed for £16 million, with £4 million to Lyn Oslo and the remainder to Manchester United. Mikel emerged as a standout at the 2003 Under-17 World Championship, attracted numerous agents, experienced aggressive recruitment approaches, and later made over 350 appearances for Chelsea, transitioning from an attacking creator to a defensive midfielder.
I was 16 years old, and the 2003 Under-17s World Championship was my showcase, my time to announce myself to the world, Mikel tells FourFourTwo. Because I had an amazing tournament, the whispers started. Everybody started to know about this wonderkid called Mikel all the agents and all the clubs started looking for me. One agent showed up inside our team hotel and was asking everyone: 'Where is this kid?'
The Nigerian FA had already told the security at the hotel: 'If anyone asks where he is, tell them that you don't know, don't tell them his room number.' This agent had a briefcase full of cash sitting right next to him, about 50,000, saying: Listen, I think a big Dutch club want you to go there, so sign for them and sign for me. I was only 16, and all of these crazy things had already started happening.
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