'He ran Chelsea!' - Super Eagles legend Mikel Obi details how John Terry took care of Rafael Benitez.
Chelsea great John Obi Mikel revealed to talkSPORT how Rafael Benitez's tenure at the team came to an end because to John Terry.
The former Blues midfielder was a key figure in that successful Stamford Bridge era, spending 11 years with the west London club between 2006 and 2017.
Mikel has described the players for Chelsea that had a certain level of power.
Joining fellow club icons Terry, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba in a star-studded squad, Mikel won two Premier Leagues, a Champions League, a Europa League, four FA Cups, and two League Cups.
Despite all of their successes, things were not always going well behind closed doors at the Bridge, with Cobham experiencing issues following Benitez's appointment as interim manager in 2012.
Many think that Chelsea's biggest players were capable of forcing a manager out if they choose.
Mikel has now revealed the team's relationship with controversial manager Benitez.
Mikel Obi on the power of John Terry and social media
Mikel, on his podcast with Frank Lampard lamented Chelsea's loss to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League.
Mikel smilled when asked if the Chelsea players were "not having the Spaniard" on talkSPORT's White and Jordan show.
He said, "No, we were not.
"We made that clear. I think obviously Liverpool was a big rival for us, but coming into the club as well, I think the fans also didn't like Rafa.
"I think there was something about Rafa and the fans that the fans didn't take to him. Same as the players, we didn't accept him as one of us."
"Then we had the thing with JT where JT got dropped, JT wasn't playing as much as he wanted. Obviously JT always played and Rafa comes in and was like 'you're not going to play every game'.
"Obviously JT wanted an explanation, 'why am I not played?' and Rafa didn't give him that."
Co-host Jim White then asked if the Blues players then got together to solve Terry's dilemma and conspire to get Benitez out - and Mikel's answer ended up leaving those in the studio in stitches.
"JT got together by himself and decided yeah, your time is gone!"
After Roberto Di Matteo was fired in November 2012, Benitez took over as manager in an acting capacity.
He won the Europa League, qualified for the Champions League, and finished third in the Premier League, but was not given a permanent contract.
The reason Terry's falling out with Benitez always meant trouble for the Spaniard was disclosed by Mikel, who said that Terry was the one with the most influence at Stamford Bridge.
Mikel, in the interview, also detailed his controversy with Ferguson choosing Chelsea over Manchester United.
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