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That is the view of coach Bala Musa who discovered the former Flying Eagles star while featuring for El Kanemi Academy in Jos, Plateau State.
Coach Musa in an interview with MTNFootball.com said the former Lyn Oslo midfielder who was second to Messi at the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Holland in 2005 has the potential to become a great player but declared that his decision to pitch tent with Chelsea affected his game.
"Chelsea have slowed down Mikel's greatness," he said.
According to the coach, the blame over the slide in Mikel's form should be placed on Chelsea managers as "none of the Blues managers, from Jose Mourinho to Roberto di Matteo, has exploited the qualities that would have made him one of the best players in the world."
Coach Bala Musa in his words said. "Yes, I knew he would be a great player because he has all the attributes to be so.
"Even the people who watched our trainings and matches always talked about him, some of the players were unhappy with me that I had a special interest in him and that was because of his exceptional qualities. I am happy that he is on top now.
''It is a pity that Chelsea have not discovered his real qualities. He is not playing the same role he was playing then. He attacked then, but now he is defensive. They will see Mikel's best when he plays an attacking role.
"Even as a teenager, Mikel's passes were accurate and second to none, he created space to dribble opponents and was very good at shielding ball from opponents," said coach Bala who likened the Super Eagles player to Barcelona's Andrea Iniesta
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