Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel reveals how Antonio Conte dropped him out of the Chelsea squad altogether for opting to play for Nigeria at Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
Mikel was called up by coach Samson Siasia and led his country to a bronze medal.
When he did come back to Stamford Bridge he found out not having a starting spot at Chelsea any longer and had to quite the team for Chinese Super League Tianjin Teda.
“For me, it was a decision I had to take because when the opportunity came up to either go to Rio or play for Chelsea,” Mikel told the NFF media.
“I decided that Victor Moses, who was the younger and hasn’t played yet for the club, should stay back while I go to the Olympics.
“Victor stayed back and I went but when I got back the manager never spoke to me again and did not even put me in the team, so I had to leave the club.
“For me, my commitment to play for the national team will never change until I stop playing.”