In a recent episode of The Obi One podcast, former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, did not mince his words as he labeled Sunday Oliseh, the former head coach of the Nigeria men’s national team, as the “easily the worst manager” he played under. Mikel, who had a storied career with Chelsea and the Super Eagles, unleashed a scathing critique of Oliseh’s coaching abilities.
During Oliseh’s tenure from July 2015 to February 2016, the national team faced a turbulent seven-month period marked by off-the-field drama, including conflicts with senior team members and officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Mikel, recounting his brief stint under Oliseh, narrated an incident where the coach initiated a heated argument with him and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama on the coach’s first day in camp.
According to Mikel, the confrontation escalated to the point where Enyeama, unable to tolerate Oliseh’s approach, left the camp and eventually retired from the national team. Mikel revealed, “Enyeama could not take it, and despite my pleas, he left the camp angrily and never came back.”
The former Chelsea midfielder portrayed Oliseh as a coach who lacked managerial skills and created disunity within the team. Mikel criticized Oliseh for being “bitter,” “jealous,” and displaying “no respect for speaking to anybody,” including team members and staff. He emphasized that Oliseh’s coaching style destroyed the team’s togetherness, asserting, “He was easily the worst manager I played under.”
Mikel further highlighted the coach’s lack of understanding of managerial responsibilities, stating that Oliseh “absolutely had no clue of what he was doing.” Despite acknowledging Oliseh’s achievements as a player, Mikel expressed his disappointment in the coach’s inability to translate his playing success into effective coaching.
