John Obi Mikel, the former Chelsea midfielder, has made a startling claim.

The former footballer has claimed that he was robbed of the African Footballer of The Year Award in 2013.

Recall that Mikel Obi missed out on the African top-individual award to Manchester City legend, Yaya Toure despite winning the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.

According to Mikel, everybody left the stage when Toure was handed the 2013 African Footballer of the Year Award ahead of him.

Speaking with Dubai Eye 103.8, the former Super Eagles captain said, “I got robbed of the African Footballer of The Year Award. Before I went, I was told I won it.

“I was at the airport flying to Nigeria because the ceremony was in Nigeria, and Man City was playing, and Yaya Toure scored two goals.

“I won the Nations cup (AFCON), I won the Europa League and a year before that, I won the Champions League. There is no way I wouldn’t have won it. I knew I had won it. It doesn’t matter how many goals he scored. I was in my prime, playing a lot of games.

“You could have seen the ceremony. Before it was even announced, everybody left the stage, people left.”