Former captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Chelsea legend, John Mikel Obi, says he remains the most successful and decorated footballer to have played for Nigeria.

Obi said despite all his achievements he was never ranked number 8 in the world by the Ballon d'Or like Nigerian youngster Victor Osimhen.

He stated these in the latest episode of his podcast, The Obi One.

The show had Osimhen as a guest.

"I am still the most successful and decorated football player in Nigeria. But he (Victor Osimhen) got an award that I never got.

"He was ranked number 8 in the world by Ballon d'Or. That's absolutely amazing. I must say congratulations. The season you had, it was fantastic and I never got to that stage. You've raised the bar so high," Obi said.

In his reaction, Osimhen reckoned that Mikel "is more than a legend" to many Nigerian footballers.

He said the former Super Eagles captain inspired him and others on and off the pitch.

On him being ranked 8th by Ballon d'Or, the Napoli striker said "I just kept on doing my job, doing what I love so much and God just crowned my efforts."

Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004.

In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him. He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years, before moving to China with Tianjin TEDA in 2017.

After two years in China, he returned to England on a short-term deal with Middlesbrough, before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2019. Mikel moved back to England in August 2020 joining Stoke City.

Between 2005 and 2019, he played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.