I worked hard for Eagles at World Cup – Mikel

Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has defended his World Cup performance, claiming he tried to play for the team rather than seek glory.

The Chelsea midfielder continues to be the brunt of criticism following what has been widely perceived as a disappointing World Cup display, but the 27 year-old claimed he is being unfairly criticized.

“I tried to do my best to work hard for the team. We play together and nobody wants to be a Maradona because in our team, everybody has to play for each other,” Mikel told KickOffNigeria.com.

“All I wanted to do was work hard for the team and not to look for glory, but people don’t see that.

“You don’t always have to dribble everybody to help the team. And the coach knows that I was doing my best.”

Mikel admitted that his game fell short of the standards he set at the Confederation Cup last year, but said there was a slight change in styles.

“The Confederations Cup was a learning experience for us, and I think I was a little more forward there, but now I had to do more work for the team.