Mikel Obi narrates family pressure after making money
In a recent podcast interview with ‘Vibe With 5’, former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, shared the challenges he faced from members of his family who demanded money from him.
Mikel recounted a time when he had to stand his ground and assert that he would no longer be pressured into giving in to their financial demands, even in the face of potential blackmail.
He expressed the struggles experienced by African footballers who often find themselves under pressure to financially support extended family members, distant relatives, and in-laws who exploit their success.
READ ALSO: Pressure to provide for my family made me steal school bus – Suspect
Mikel also emphasized the burden of responsibility and the cultural expectations that weigh on athletes who have come into wealth.
When you come from Africa and make money, it is not just your money. You have all these relatives, cousins, and a lot of them. Then your sisters get married to some guy who just wants to get married to John Obi Mikel’s family because my life is sorted. You start looking after the guy. You send money to your sister, but the money goes to him. And he does whatever he does with it,” Obi said.
“When you get the money, after you’ve shared it, you’re left with little remaining. And they keep having so many kids, and you’re asking who is going to take care of them, but they are looking up to you to look after them. You are looking after the kids, the husband, and the husband’s family, and it becomes absolutely crazy. For them, you owe them that. It is the culture you owe them that and you stop to think, I don’t owe you anything,” he said.
Notably, former Premier League player Emmanuel Adebayor, in a separate instance, also exposed the distress induced by similar familial pressures, describing how it led him to contemplate suicide due to the manipulation and expectations placed upon him to provide financial support.
Adebayor has made a vast fortune for himself during his career, boasting wages of over £170,000 per week while at Manchester City and Tottenham.
‘I felt like killing myself so many times. I kept this to myself for years and years. I am disgusted that things reached this stage, but I feel relieved to have talked about it.
These revelations underscore the challenges faced by professional athletes in managing and protecting their finances in the wake of familial demands, shedding light on the need to address the complexities of financial responsibility and pressures within the context of professional sports.
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