Tianjin Teda of China midfielder, John Mikel Obi has hinted that he will continue being grateful and expressing gratitude to all Nigerians for supporting him and his Super Eagles’ teammates during the World Cup, because he feels he cannot say thank you enough.
While acknowledging that he was hurt to the bone marrow by the Eagles’ loss to Argentina in their decisive last group match on Tuesday, the former Chelsea star said he remains grateful to their fans all over the world, who believed in the team till the final whistle in Saint-Petersburg.
Having represented Nigeria at all age grade competitions, with a silver medal at the World Youth Championship, bronze at the Olympics and gold at the Africa Cup of Nations, some pundits believe Mikel might be ready to retire from the Eagles.
However, Mikel gave no assurance on his future with the national team, saying anything is still possible for him when it comes to playing for Nigeria.
Mikel, who earned his 85th cap in the loss to Argentina, said he plans to assess his future yearly, whilst praising the current crop of Eagles as the best he has played for in years.
He then thanked millions of fans who supported the team throughout their campaign at the World Cup, and assured them that the Nigerian team fought to make them happy till the very last moment.
Mikel added: “We fought until the end and we are all hurting with you. Your support has driven us throughout the World Cup and we cannot thank you enough.
“I hope I can still be around. This team is a fantastic team. I have enjoyed my time in the national team; in all my years with the Eagles.
“I have never been in a team like this; honestly, this set of players are amazing and always nice to be around with.
“For the Nations Cup, we will see what happens. I just want to take every year as it comes, then maybe anything can happen from there, but for now, nothing decided.”
