Nigeria and Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi has a secret son and daughter by two different women living in the UK, claimed reports in Mailonline and the Sun on Sunday.
The player who is out of this weekend clash between Nigeria and Tanzania is reported to have a one year-old daughter and a four-year-old son after short relationships with the two women. And the Nigeria international, who earns about £80,000 a week at Chelsea, is said to be providing for the two children.
According to the Sun on Sunday, Mikel, who lives in Oxshott, Surrey, bought a £500,000 detached property in the Home Counties for his son and the boy’s mother. His daughter and the girl’s 23-year-old mother are said to live in the South of England – but the two women reportedly do not know about each other.
The Sun on Sunday quoted a source as saying Mikel met his son’s mother at a party in London.
After she gave birth, the source said, Mikel “agreed to give her tens of thousands a year in upkeep’ and ‘agreed to give her a new car every three to five years.”
“He said he wanted to play a role in the boy’s life. He and the mum are on friendly terms and she doesn’t harbour any bad feelings towards him, perhaps because he’s looked after her so well.”
Mikel is said to have met his daughter’s mother at a nightclub in 2013. She reportedly gave birth last year.
The newspaper quoted a friend of the girl’s mother as saying that Mikel has ‘provided’ for the woman and their child.
The friend said, “She is not from a well-off family and does not now earn much, but she drives around in a new car. She seems to have come into money since having the baby and is keeping a low profile.”
Mikel is currently in a relationship with Russian businesswoman Olga Diyachenko.
A spokesman for the footballer is quoted by the London-based paper as saying, “This is an entirely private matter. John provides for and cares for his children and will continue to do so. He asks that their privacy be respected.”
The PUNCH attempt to speak with a very close associate of Mikel who is also based in London failed. Our correspondent left voice messages when he did not answer but he has yet to respond to the messages. He did not reply the text also sent to him on Sunday.
Mikel has been left out of the Super Eagles next match billed for Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Nigeria manager Sunday Oliseh said that he left out the midfielder from the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match because he could not reach him despite several attempts made about that.
Mikel, who is one of the best paid Nigerians, had been linked in the past to several ladies in Nigeria but he denied any relationship with them. The nationalities of the two ladies in these latest reports were not revealed. Agency report
