Nigeria’s Super Eagles Captain, Mikel Obi has opened up on the trauma he went through having received a call from home before the Argentina Match that his dad has been Kidnapped for the second time.

In a statement released by his publicists, Mikel remarked:

“Following various speculators about recent occurrence with my father. I can confirm I had to suppress emotional trauma to lead Nigeria out against Argentina last Tuesday 26th June in Saint Petersburg.

“Four hours before kick-off, I received a call from Nigeria that my father Pa Michael Obi had been kidnapped for the second time.

“He was on his way to a funeral in South eastern Nigeria from Jos when he was abducted along the Makurdi-Enugu expressway.

“I was emotionally distraught but had to make a decision about whether I was mentally ready to play the game.

“I was confused. I did not know what to do, but in the end I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down, I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first.

“I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff, and only a very tight circle of members my friends knew.

“I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody.

“And I did not want to discuss it with the coach because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to the coach or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game.

“So as much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not do it. Thankfully he is now safely released less than seven hours ago. I thank the police authorities for their rescue efforts and support from friends and family members

LeBron James will begin a new chapter in his Hall of Fame career after agreeing to sign a four-year £117 million deal with Los Angeles Lakers, leaving Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time.

After spending the first 15 years of his career in the Eastern Conference, James will take his talents out west as he bids to put an end to the Golden State Warriors’ NBA dynasty.

But why has he chosen the Lakers? A team who finished 11th in the Western Conference last season. And how will this decision change the NBA landscape? Sportsmail have provided a handy guide to James’ latest move.

WHAT ARE THE FIGURES BEHIND THE DEAL?

First off, the money. James has penned a four-year deal worth $153m (£117m) with the Lakers. The final year is a player option. That means for the 2021-22 season, James has the choice of whether to opt in and stay or test free agency once again.

So James, not for the first time in his career, has left money on the table by signing with the Lakers. He has opted against penning a five-year max contract with the Cavaliers, who could have offered him a projected £154m deal.

It’s also the longest deal he’s signed since leaving Cleveland for the first time to join Miami Heat on a six-year contract in ‘The Decision’ back in 2010.

WHY JOIN THE LAKERS?

Never mind their dismal season last year, the Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. The purple and gold are the second-most successful with 16 championships, just one less than Boston Celtics, and possess a remarkable stable of former legendary players – from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Their Staples Center arena is always attended by a host of celebrities and the glamour and glitz of playing in Los Angeles has always carried weight for NBA players in free agency. And so it has proved once again as they reel in the biggest fish of them all.

On a personal level, James is also keen to develop his business portfolio by establishing a base in Los Angeles and find the best place possible to continue raising his family.

James already owns two mansions in Brentwood, Los Angeles and has investments in numerous businesses in the city. His sports media company Uninterrupted are based there alongside Klutch Sports, the sports-management agency that represents him. It’s notable that the decision to join Los Angeles was announced through the Klutch Sports website.

Reports suggest that James’ son Bronny has already committed to playing basketball at a private school nearby and the family were attracted to the area after spending previous off seasons there.

In terms of basketball reasons, James is still as hungry for ever for championships and after delivering his promise of bringing one to his hometown Cavaliers in 2016, he will feel he’s entitled to move on. But despite making eight straight Finals in the east, the juggernaut Warriors have proved a bridge too far.

James will hope the Lakers can acquire another All-Star level talent, likely to be Kawhi Leonard via a trade with the San Antonio Spurs, so they can challenge Golden State out west.

WHY LEAVE CLEVELAND?

‘CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU!’, James screamed after upsetting the odds to beat Golden State in a seven-game NBA Finals series back two years ago. He had returned to his hometown team and helped lift the 57-year drought of major sports teams in Cleveland without a championship.

But James grew frustrated with the poorly-managed Cavaliers towards the end of his time there. Often he took charge at timeouts ahead of coach Ty Lue and was made to take matters into his own hands.

Notably he appeared to lose his cool with team-mate JR Smith during Game One of the Finals after the shooting guard’s embarrassing error, holding on to the ball with seconds running down, a mistake that effectively cost Cleveland the win.

James has also endured a fractious relationship with Cavaliers fans over the years. There were unsavoury scenes of mass jersey-burnings when James first left for Miami in 2010 and owner Dan Gilbert penned his infamous letter calling the MVP a ‘coward’. The player’s relationship with the owner has never been the same since.

WHAT NEXT?

Expect Lakers to aggressively pursue Spurs forward Leonard, who looks set to manoeuvre his way out of San Antonio. The All-Star is unhappy and spent much of the season injured but refused to even attend his team’s play-off games from the sidelines. Reports suggest the 27-year-old wants to move to Los Angeles, where he grew up.

One of the front-runners for MVP in 2017, Leonard is one of the league’s best two-way stars in offense and defence and possesses a level of basketball intelligence that James would love to team up with.

Paul George re-signing with Oklahoma City Thunder and Chris Paul committing his future to Houston Rockets means Leonard is likely to be Lakers’ only shot of acquiring another star player to join James.

The Lakers will likely have to give up two of their young stars to acquire Leonard – possibly Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma – and neglect to re-sign point guard Isaiah Thomas, which could be a blessing in disguise.

But with the Warriors already possessing a team of All-Stars and MVPs – Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson – it seems optimistic to think a James-Leonard tandem alone would be enough to stop Golden State’s dominance.

Unai Emery used his opening press conference as Arsenal boss to thank Arsene Wenger for his legacy, as he revealed he made his final decision to take the job after a meeting with the club’s bosses in Atlanta this week.

The former Paris Saint-Germain boss opted to forgo his native Spanish, instead braving English for his first conversation with the media at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Sitting alongside chief executive Ivan Gazidis, Emery was quick to praise Wenger after his 22-year reign: ‘Thank you Arsene Wenger for your legacy. All the work and all the coaching is a reference, and I learn with him all the things in football.