Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi on Thursday played street football in Ebute Metta area of Lagos as part of his Back2Base talent hunt programme.
The ex-Chelsea midfielder arrived at Evans Square disguised. He however said in an Instagram post on Friday that he was happy to see the reaction on their faces when they realised it was him.
“Yesterday I went #back2base to surprise the kids at Evans Square Ebutte Meta Lagos. I had so much joy seeing their reactions when they finally knew it was me,” the 35-year-old said.
“Seeing them happy was everything I wanted and I am glad I made out time to make this happen.”
The maiden talent hunt programme began on June 9 and will continue till June 12 at the UNILAG Sports Complex.
Speaking recently with reporters in Lagos, he said: “It is an opportunity for us to give back to the community, first of all, we have to realise that there is so much talent in this country waiting to be discovered. So with the Back2Base project, we are hoping to help showcase this talent.
“The first edition is starting in Lagos but we hope we can take it around the country subsequently. It is going to be an exciting time for the children not just in football but also in basketball and tennis.”
The Back2Base project will feature football, basketball and tennis. According to Mikel’s partners, Avianna & Harvey Entertainments, this edition will have boys of ages 17-20 taking part in the football and basketball events while the tennis will feature both boys and girls.
CEO and Founder of Avianna & Harvey Entertainments, Ahmed Fadekemi, said the talent hunt programme itself will be for three days, the fourth day is reserved for an exclusive dinner with Mikel alongside the athletes discovered during the exercise.
She added that as much as N6 million stands to be won by outstanding athletes across the three sports.
Last year, Mikel met Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the project.
