Nigeria Super Eagles Captain and former Chelsea player, Mikel Obi had said in an interview that he thinks his Russian wife would kill him if Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosted by Russia.
Still speaking on the forthcoming world cup and the challenges that lie before him, the midfielder who plays currently for Chinese club Tianjin TEDA explained that the pressure to make it to Russia is immense. He said further, that the pressure he felt was not from the expectations of supporters in his football-mad homeland, but his wife’s family members.
“My wife is a Russian and many of our relatives and friends are from Russia. They are all expecting Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup. I think they will kill me if I fail them,” he said, laughing.
Although Africa’s third round of qualifiers reaches its halfway point at the end of this month and beginning of September, the Super Eagles captain believes a place at the global finals is within their grasp
Nigeria is currently leading in Group B of the World Cup qualifiers with four points clear of second-placed Cameroon and five ahead of Zambia and Algeria.
Although there are still four tough games to be negotiated, Mikel is optimistic about their prospects of topping the table and claiming a spot at Russia 2018.
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