I was about to play Lionel Messi when kidnappers held gun to my dad’s head… Roman Abramovich offered to ‘send people’
JOHN OBI MIKEL has recounted the harrowing story of how his father was kidnapped in 2018.
The ex-Chelsea star opened up on the incident when speaking to Jim White and Simon Jordan on .
Mikel, 36, was set to play for Nigeria against Lionel Messi-led Argentina in the final group-stage game of the 2018 World Cup.
But before the game started, the midfielder received terrifying news that his father, Pa Michael Obi, had been kidnapped for a second time, with another kidnapping occurring in 2011.
He said: "My dad got kidnapped while I was playing for the national team at the World Cup 2018 in Russia and we were about to play against Argentina.
“Two hours before the game I got a phone call from my brother saying that my dad has been kidnapped for the second time in Nigeria.
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“He was kidnapped for the first time and I spoke to the kidnappers and they demanded lots of money from me, which I did eventually pay before my dad got released.
“But the second time happened while I was playing for my country and I got this phone call from my brother saying that dad has been kidnapped again for the second time.
“That was absolutely shocking. The first time was shocking, but the second time was even more shocking because I was about to go into one of the biggest games of my life."
The first instance of his father being kidnapped had seen Pa held for 10 days.
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He continued: "Just knowing that my dad has been kidnapped again was absolutely heartbreaking.
“I couldn't leave the room. I couldn't tell anybody. I was alone in the room for about 30 minutes, thinking what am I going to do? Shall I tell the manager? Shall I tell my teammates? Or should I make an announcement?
“But we're about to go into the biggest game of our lives. We're about to play against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
“So I thought about it. I was like, okay, you know what? I'm going to keep quiet. I called my mum and my brothers, everybody was crying on the phone.
“They were saying no you shouldn't go out and play because you're not going to be able to perform well.
“I took time on my own and I decided that I'm going to go out there and perform. I'm going to go out there and play.
“So I didn't tell anybody. I went on the pitch and I played. Sadly, we didn't win the game and then after that I told everybody.
“In the dressing room the manager and some of the players were almost in tears. They were saying you should have told us and you shouldn't have played.”
Mikel revealed how then-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had supported him and offered to send people to sort out the situation.
He said: "Chelsea were very supportive. I remember Roman [Abramovich] saying do you want me to send people over?
"Because I know if I send people over, I can get your dad out. I was like, how are you going to do this?
"He said don't worry about that. Just let me, if you want that option, I can do it."
Mikel was also full of praise of Liverpool's support of winger Luis Diaz, who is going through a similar situation following the kidnapping of his parents in Colombia.
Diaz's mother was released, though his father remains the captive of the ELN rebel group.
Mikel said: "I'm happy to see that Liverpool are very supportive. I must give credit to Liverpool for what they're doing.
"I can relate to Luis Diaz and what he's going through. This kind of situation is where you absolutely have nothing to do.
“You just have to wait because they will call you. They will demand for this and they will demand for that. They will say if you don't do what we want, we're going to shoot your dad. We're going to kill him.
"I had my dad on the phone crying on the phone and saying can you give them what they want because I've been beaten up here and they've got a gun on my head every time saying they're going to kill me.
“I managed to pay lots of money to get my dad released."
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He added: "I know exactly what you're going through and I hope he stays strong. I know it's a tough time for him as a player. I know what his family as well are going through as well."
On Tuesday, the government's head negotiator with the guerilla group, Otty Patiño, confirmed the man should be released soon after the Colombian military met the ELN's demands.
