Mikel mocks Arsenal after UCL defeat

Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel did not waste time after Arsenal lost to PSG in the Champions League final on penalties last Saturday. He backed Chelsea's pointed social media jab at their London rivals and added his own harsh words, and he has the trophies to prove it.

Chelsea’s official Instagram posted a picture of the Champions League trophy at Stamford Bridge the day after Arsenal's loss. They captioned it, “Come and visit London’s home of trophies.”

This post was clearly aimed at Arsenal, who still have no European title despite reaching two Champions League finals in their history.

When Mikel saw the post, he was quick to respond.

“Amazing post. This trophy, wow, amazing trophy. Arsenal cannot touch this trophy. They cannot touch it. We are the team,” he said.

When asked if Chelsea should feel sorry for Arsenal after their shootout loss, Mikel was straightforward. He said, “Never say sorry to Arsenal. We are the only team in London that have won the Champions League. It is amazing to see Arsenal do what they do best, they always find a way to bottle it, and they did.”

Mikel also criticized Arsenal fans while predicting that Chelsea will bounce back next season.

“Arsenal fans are the worst fans, delusional. But Chelsea, we are the best. We have had a poor season, but next season we are going to be back,” he added.

Mikel speaks from experience, having lived through those big European nights.

He spent eleven years at Chelsea and won nine major trophies. The biggest of those was the UEFA Champions League in 2012, where he played the full 120 minutes in the final against Bayern Munich. That match remains one of his best performances.

Mikel also played brilliantly in both legs of the thrilling semi-final win over Barcelona that year. The next season, he added the UEFA Europa League to his collection, making him one of the few players to win both major European club trophies. Overall, Mikel left Stamford Bridge in 2017 with two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, and both the Champions League and Europa League.

In contrast, Arsenal have never won a European trophy in their 140-year existence. Their best efforts in the Champions League were as runners-up in 2006 when they lost to Barcelona in Paris. Saturday night in Budapest was their first return to a final since then. The Gunners missed two penalties in the shootout, allowing PSG to claim their second consecutive Champions League title, which means Arsenal still wait for the one trophy that has always been out of reach.