Ex-Nigeria midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has named former teammate, Michael Essien, as the player who helped him during his time at Stamford Bridge.
The pair played together under several managers during their days in the Premier League.
Mikel speaking to The Athletic explained that the former Ghana international always told him he was a good player and reminded him to bring the ball down, control and pass, adding that Essien made him have a lot of confidence in the game.
“Suddenly, I was sharing a dressing room with all these players I had watched on television back in Africa,” Mikel said.
“I was sitting next to Lassana Diarra. I would be there thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s Didier Drogba. It’s Frank Lampard. It’s John Terry’.
“Michael Essien [who joined Chelsea from Lyon in the summer of 2005] really helped me. Michael always told me I was a good player and just reminded me to bring the ball down, control and pass.
“If you need to dribble, dribble. If you don’t need to, just pass. You are strong. You are fast, too. If you can, just push the ball past and run, run, run because they cannot catch you.
“He was the guy who really helped me and made me have a lot of confidence.”
Mikel joined Chelsea in 2006 and didn’t leave the Blues until 2017.
The former Super Eagles captain made a total of 372 appearances for Chelsea in a career that saw him lift the Premier League trophy twice as well as the UEFA Champions League once in 2011/12.
He also indicated that signing for Chelsea was a move which exposed him to lots of stars one could only dream of.
“Suddenly, I was sharing a dressing room with all these players I had watched on television back in Africa."
“I was sitting next to Lassana Diarra. I would be there thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s Didier Drogba. It’s Frank Lampard. It’s John Terry,” Mikel said.