Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has revealed the surprising financial struggles that come with being a professional footballer.
Former midfielder Mikel enjoyed an impressive 21-year career as a professional footballer, with his most notable stint of course being his 11 year tenure with Chelsea.
After a controversial move to Manchester United collapsed, Mikel joined Chelsea in 2006 and went on to make nearly 400 appearances for the London club in all competitions.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Mikel won 11 trophies including two Premier League titles and the Champions League, while also winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 2013.
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Of course, such success with a club as big as Chelsea meant that Mikel was financially rewarded, but it wasn't all easy going for the Premier League star, as he's since opened up about the dark side of football finances.
It is believed that Mikel earned approximately £70,000 to £75,000 per week during the final stages of his 11-year tenure with Chelsea.
But the Nigerian has later claimed that he never saw all of this money, as he claimed that African footballers are essentially subject to an extra form of tax to support extended family and others back home.
Speaking to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, he claimed that, although it is rarely spoken about, there is an expectation on professional footballers to provide financial support.
"When you come from Africa - and this is something I don't think we speak a lot about - when you make money, it is not your money," he claimed, speaking on Ferdinand's Vibe with FIVE.
"You have all these relatives, cousins, whatever.
"Your sisters, they go off and get married to some guy. He just wants to get married into John Obi Mikel's family because then [he thinks] 'my life is sorted'.
"You start looking after this guy and you send money to your sister and the money goes to him and he does whatever he does with it.
"This is the thing nobody knows about - your money is not your money."
Mikel went on to claims that young African players need to be made aware of the expectations that could come around following their success, claiming that some of his family were actually earning more than him during his career.
Eventually, the former Chelsea star decided that he had to stop these constant payments, despite backlash from family members who even went as far as to threaten him.
"Sometimes you have to say 'Enough is enough, I don't care'. For me that moment came about five years ago," Mikel added, speaking in November 2023.
"I said 'No more', because I have been doing this since I started playing football.
"You become the bad guy. They stop answering your phone calls. They are used to calling you - not to check up on you but to ask 'What are you giving me?'.
"You have to be strong enough. I was giving so much to the family.
"All you do is keep giving and they are so comfortable that they expect you to do that for the rest of your life."
"They give you this thing whereby 'If you don't do it [pay], we are going to go to the press'.
"You are thinking, 'You are family. After all I've done for you guys?'.
"You get threatened by your own blood."
Topics: Premier League, Rio Ferdinand, Chelsea, Football
Ben McCrum