• Mikel Obi was the center of controversy between Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United back in 2006
• It was gathered that the Nigerian star had agreed pre-contract with the Red Devils before he ended up joining The Blues
• Reports at that time alleged that the superstar was kidnapped, but Mikel has stated that he only went into hiding

Former Nigerian international Mikel Obi has debunked rumours that he was abducted in 2006 before he moved to Premier League club Chelsea, Complete Sports.

The former Super Eagles captain was declared missing by Morgan Andersen, the general manager of his former club Lyn Oslo, as there was a tug of war over the player’s future.

It was gathered that Mikel had signed a pre-contract with Manchester United in 2005, but the midfielder ended up joining Jose Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge side.

Mikel Obi says he was not kidnapped before joining Chelsea. Photo: Justin Tallis

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the 34-year-old disclosed that a report of him being kidnapped was not true that he had to hide when the pressure was much.

“Yes, there was talk of that. Look, I wasn’t really kidnapped. I was just staying away from the public eye, away from the press, making sure no one knew where I was.

“But there was a public announcement in Norway that, if anyone saw me, they should report it to the police, so we had to go and hide. Obviously, United were trying to get hold of me. So was Lyn. There were some tough times. It was like a movie.”

He spent 11 years at Chelsea becoming one of the club’s most-decorated players having won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League as well as the Europa League.