Back2Base Set To Produce Ronaldos, Messi – Mikel

Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has said that the main purpose of embarking on his talent hunt project, Back2Base, is to produce the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Nigerian league.
The maiden edition of Back2Base programme will hold at the University of Lagos from June 9 to 12, featuring three sports, football, basketball and tennis. While football and basketball are expected to be competed in by male players, tennis will feature both male and female players.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos, yesterday, Mikel, who won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea, said the Back2Base programme was set up to give aspiring professional athletes between 17 and 20 years opportunity to showcase their talents in football, basketball and tennis.
According to him, eight teams will participate in the football event, adding that 200 players have been thoroughly screened by a team of experts for the competition.
Mikel, a fan of tennis legend, Roger Federer, added that the sum of N2 million each has been set aside as financial reward for the three best teams. He said: “Back2Base talent hunt is not about gathering players and sending them abroad for professional career. We have to build the Nigerian league, and this project is to scout for players for interested clubs featuring in our domestic league. If the opportunity comes for the players to travel abroad, we will accept it. But for now, we are more interested in making the domestic league more viable so that our players will shun this ideal of taking their soccer trade abroad.”
Mikel also promised to take the Back2Base programme round the country soon. “I grew up in Jos, and I will like to take this project to the primary school, where I started my football career by the time we visit Jos. I will like to play football with the kids.
Mikel, who started as an academy player in Jos, rose to become one of Africa’s biggest football stars, winning one AFCON title at South Africa 2013, Olympic Games bronze medal at Rio 2016, and also leading Nigeria to two FIFA senior World Cup competitions, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.