Episodes

  • Mariga & Wanyama Exclusive: Pochettino’s Special Talent, Fatherly José & Eto’o Africa’s GOAT

    Mariga & Wanyama Exclusive: Pochettino’s Special Talent, Fatherly José & Eto’o Africa’s GOAT
    Mar 19 2026
    John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy are in Nairobi in this episode of the podcast to catch up with Kenyan trailblazers: brothers MacDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama. First up, Mariga lifts the lid on working with José Mourinho, becoming the first player from Kenya to lift the UEFA Championd League and why a potential move to Manchester City was scuppered. He also gives his take on the current state of the Kenyan game and African football as a whole. Wanyama follows as he reflects on a career that took him to England via Celtic to play for Southampton and Tottenham under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino. He also weighs in on the debate as to who is the greatest player in African football history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Salomon Kalou Exclusive: Abramovich’s Secret House, Drogba’s Ferrari & THAT Ballack Punch-Up

    Salomon Kalou Exclusive: Abramovich’s Secret House, Drogba’s Ferrari & THAT Ballack Punch-Up
    Mar 5 2026
    John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou have had a brotherly bond since their days together at Chelsea. And that unique friendship is on display here as the two men reunite for a candid and, at times, hilarious jaunt down memory lane. Here, Kalou recounts the lengths José Mourinho went to scout him in person at Feyenoord, his first meeting with Roman Abramovich at a place where ‘everyone signed on the dotted line’ and why he wasn’t so keen on Didier Drogba’s expensive Ferrari! Mikel can’t resist teasing his friend over one of the more unique hairstyles we’ve seen in the Premier League, and why he always had to have a stocked fridge! Kalou also finally reveals what really happened between himself and Michael Ballack that led to their infamous training ground dust-up. Settle in for this one, as two Chelsea greats chew the fat about the glory days on the pitch, and the mad times off it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Obi Mikel ERUPTS: Arsenal’s ‘cheat code’ a sign of Arteta’s ‘lazy coaching’

    Obi Mikel ERUPTS: Arsenal’s ‘cheat code’ a sign of Arteta’s ‘lazy coaching’
    Mar 3 2026
    Things get heated in this episode of Taking the Mikel as John Obi can’t hide his disgust at what he calls Arsenal’s “cheat code”: their set-pieces. No one is safe as the former Chelsea man hits out at Mikel Arteta and the standard of officiating in the Premier League. But is there an ulterior motive? All is revealed. Mikel and Chris also weigh into the debate over Michael Carrick’s long-term future as Manchester United with both debating the merits of two other candidates. Igor Tudor comes under fire too after his winless start to life as Tottenham boss continues, and Mikel finds time to criticise Liam Rosenior over his use of Chelsea’s talisman Cole Palmer. And finally, how many of this current Arsenal side would make the Invincibles XI of 2004? The guys have their say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Obi Mikel’s verdict: Arsenal Still Lacking | Defending Rosenior | José (& Clattenburg) v Vini Jnr

    Obi Mikel’s verdict: Arsenal Still Lacking | Defending Rosenior | José (& Clattenburg) v Vini Jnr
    Feb 23 2026
    Taking the Mikel is back with a bang as John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy run the rule over a controversial week. First up, the race for the Premier League title, and Mikel refuses to get carried away with Arsenal’s 4-1 at Tottenham for one major reason. Doubts over this Chelsea team linger, but Mikel has Liam Rosenior’s back when it comes to trolling on social media. John and Chris also wade into the racism storm involving Vinicius Junior and the incendiary post-match comments of José Mourinho. John pleads with his former boss and weighs in on Mark Clattenburg’s ill-advised remarks too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Luís Figo reveals all: ‘No - Ronaldo played with ME!’, the mental toll of that Barca-Real transfer & the greatest Galactico

    Luís Figo reveals all: ‘No - Ronaldo played with ME!’, the mental toll of that Barca-Real transfer & the greatest Galactico
    Feb 19 2026
    Luís Figo is a footballing icon. One of the greatest players of his generation, a Ballon d’Or winner and the subject of one of the most controversial and talked about transfers of all time. Here, the Portuguese sits down with John and Chris at the Melia Desert Palm in Dubai to reflect on his illustrious career, and set the record straight once and for all. So what does he REALLY think of Cristiano Ronaldo and his place among the game’s pantheon? And what of his bid to one day become UEFA president? Luís also takes us into the inner workings of his transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000, a move that shocked the world. What was the catalyst, how did his family deal with the fallout and most pressing of all: does he have any regrets? Figo also talks us into the inner sanctum of Real’s Galacticos, picks the team’s best player and reveals just how close he came to a move to the English Premier League. Luís Figo was speaking to the Obi One Podcast to celebrate La Liga’s partnership with Meliá Hotels International in the Middle East. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Wilfried Bony: Secret Wenger Meeting | Rejecting Arsenal | Yaya v Drogba | Magic Of Winning AFCON

    Wilfried Bony: Secret Wenger Meeting | Rejecting Arsenal | Yaya v Drogba | Magic Of Winning AFCON
    Feb 5 2026
    The Obi One Podcast is on the road again, this time in Abidjan for a live event with special guest Wilfried Bony. A cult hero at Swansea, a League Cup winner with Manchester City and an African champion with his beloved Ivory Coast, Bony looks back on his career and some of the sliding door moments within it. he came close to a move to Arsenal after a clandestine meeting with then boss Arsene Wenger, why he spurned the riches on offer in China and the rollercoaster of emotions that he went through in winning the African Cup of Nations in 2015. Bony also discusses the dressing dynamics of that Ivory Coast team which featured both Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. Who was the top dog? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Diego Costa Exclusive: ‘Nobody Liked Conte At Chelsea’ | Mourinho V Simeone | Why Bad Boy Image Was Unfair

    Diego Costa Exclusive: ‘Nobody Liked Conte At Chelsea’ | Mourinho V Simeone | Why Bad Boy Image Was Unfair
    Jan 22 2026
    Diego Costa is a two-time Premier League winner, a Chelsea cult hero, and a man who gave many a defender sleepless nights He remains, however, somewhat of an enigma. In this exclusive interview, Diego sits down with his former Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy to set the record straight. Is he the snarling, aggressive man we see on the pitch or simply misunderstood? So, why did he leave Chelsea? And what does he REALLY think of the man who engineered his exit: Antonio Conte? Unsurprisingly for a man who never backed down from a fight on the pitch, he doesn’t hold back. Costa also outlines what makes Diego Simeone and José Mourinho so special, has his say on his bad boy image label, and takes us back to the night of the infamous Battle of the Bridge against Tottenham. He also explains why Didier Drogba will always be ‘God’ and names the striker he’d pick ahead of Erling Haaland today. Hold onto your hats, folks, for this unfiltered and unflinching conversation with a Blues great. It’s Diego Costa unleashed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Atiba Hutchinson: Besiktas legend on life under Solskjaer | Mourinho & Osimhen verdicts

    Atiba Hutchinson: Besiktas legend on life under Solskjaer | Mourinho & Osimhen verdicts
    Jan 8 2026
    The Obi One Podcast is on the road again, this time back in Istanbul to chat to Besiktas’ cult hero Atiba Hutchinson. The Canadian spent a decade with the club, winning three league titles and a Turkish Cup during that period to establish himself as one of the club’s greatest ever players. Alongside a coterie of die-hard Besiktas fans, John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy quiz the Canadian on life in Turkey, the impact both José Mourinho and Victor Osimhen have had on the league and what life was like under former managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Slaven Bilić. There’s also Hutchinson’s thoughts on the current Canadian team and whether they have what it takes to shock the world next summer at the World Cup Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins