The former Nigeria captain has agreed to leave Europe for another football adventure in Asia.
Kuwaiti Premier League club Al Kuwait SC have announced the signing of John Obi Mikel from Championship side Stoke City.
The Brigadiers disclosed that the former Chelsea and Trabzonspor star has penned a one-year contract that will keep him at the club for the 2021-22 season.
Mikel’s signing comes as reinforcement for Al Kuwait, who finished third in the Premier League last season behind Al-Qadsia and leaders Al-Arabi.
He won’t be the only African star at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium as he joins Morocco’s El-Mehdi Barrahma, Tunisia duo Ahmed Akaichi and Rami Bedoui, and Mali’s Abdulwahid Sissoko in the Brigadiers’ line-up.
Meanwhile, Stoke City recently activated the contract extension option to keep the former Super Eagles captain following his impressive performances in the English second division last term.
The 34-year-old was one of the standout players in Michael O’Neill’s team in the 2020-21 season with 39 league appearances under his belt as they finished 14th in the table.
Mikel returned to England last August after he terminated his contract with Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor over a disagreement regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nigeria legend is not new to Asian football having previously spent two years in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Teda.
Prior to his sojourn in China, the 2005 Caf Most Promising Talent had spent the majority of his career at Chelsea.
During his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge, Mikel won several laurels including the Uefa Champions League, Uefa Europa League, the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
He was also named the club’s Young Player of the Year twice (2007 and 2008), and he went on to make 249 appearances in the Premier League with a single goal to his name.
The 34-year-old replicated his leadership and marshalling roles for Nigeria on several occasions before his retirement in 2019.
He was part of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad and he also helped the country win bronze at the 2006, 2010 and 2019 editions.
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