Carragher and Mikel Obi during their playing days in England
Former Nigeria international John Mikel Obi has lashed out at Jamie Carragher for dismissing the significance of the Africa Cup of Nations on live TV.
Mikel slammed the former Liverpool player, pointing out that the latter never won an international trophy, hence, he has no right to speak down on a prestigious international tournament like AFCON.
Mikel, speaking on his podcast, noted that the AFCON and the Champions League are the two biggest trophies he won in his career.
“I have always said that the Champions League and the Africa Cup of Nations are the two biggest trophies I won in my career. I’ve always rated the AFCON on the same level as the Champions League,” he said on The Obi Podcast.
He further criticized Carragher, labeling his comments as disrespectful while highlighting the former English defender’s unimpressive international career, which was characterized by zero trophies and a lack of playing time.
“It’s so disrespectful, what he said. And this is coming from somebody who never won any major international tournament for England. Well, he has to play to win, and he never did, either. It is also ignorant to disrespect such a wonderful tournament.”
Jamie Carragher, during a discussion on Sky Sports, implied that the AFCON is not a major tournament while making an argument about why Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah might miss out on the Ballon d’Or.
What Carragher said about the AFCON
During the post-match analysis of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on February 23, 2025, on Sky Sports, Carragher asserted that although Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian, excels with Liverpool, the lack of a major tournament for his national team could hinder his chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
“I think the problem is that he [Salah] is with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in a major tournament or maybe doesn’t have a great chance of winning. I think it’s either the Champions League or a major tournament.
“Normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr. and Mbappe right now, Real Madrid looking really good going for the Champions League. Liverpool will be in that conversation, but right now, Los Blancos are certainly the front-runners,” he said.
Watch Obi Mikel blasts Carragher over AFCON jibe via the video below
EE/EK