Nearing the twilight of the Jay Jay Okocha era, Nigerians began a frantic search for the perfect Jay Jay replacement. From Nosa Igiebor, to Rabiu Ibrahim, Nigerians have seen false messiahs who have failed to impress or hold down slots in the National teams and have struggled for game time at their various clubs. Mikel Obi eventually stepped into the Nigerian creative hole, though a variation of the 2005 Mikel Nigerians hoped for(thanks to Mourinho). A slower and less flamboyant player than Jay Jay, Mikel exerts the same influence over the middle of the park and has a hand in every good thing the Super Eagles do up front. At 30, Mikel has refined his game to depend more on intelligence than pace, a move that reminds us that the mercurial midfielder will soon be nearing the end of his National team playing career and the search for Mikel's successor would soon commence. Blessed with an abundance of talents in Kelechi, Iwobi, ...