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Twenty-two-years-old at the start of the 2009/10 season, such is the physical and footballing maturity of Mikel that his young age is easy to overlook.

However, in common with his fellow youthful African at Chelsea, Salomon Kalou, he increasingly looked the part last season having first found his skilful feet during the 2006/07 campaign, his first in England.

Mikel became a squad addition the summer after Chelsea had secured a second straight league title. An agreement had been reached with Manchester United and Norwegian club Lyn Oslo that allowed Chelsea to sign the then 19-year-old Nigerian midfielder for a combined £16 million.

A powerfully-built young man, with exceptional ball skills, his standing as one of the brightest young talents in the game had been confirmed at the African Cup of Nations earlier that year, his senior international debut having come in August 2005.

Previously Mikel had starred in the 2005 Fifa U-20 World Youth Championships where he was voted the tournament's second best player as Nigeria made the final. The player trained with Chelsea for one week in the winter of 2004 and José Mourinho had seen enough to wish to sign him.

The then manager said: 'Everybody was in love, not just me. The players were amazed at a young boy coming and training with us with such quality.

'Later we saw him in the African Cup of Nations playing like a giant. He was at an unbelievable level and we know what a player he can be.'

Following on from the transfer of Kalou the same summer, the arrival of Mikel confirmed Chelsea's determination to add exciting young talent as well as established stars to the squad.

Having smoothed out some rough edges both on and off the pitch, Mourinho increasingly used Mikel's talent in the holding midfield role, especially when requiring a long range of passing.

Named Chelsea Young Player of the Year, he survived an injury scare the week before the 2007 FA Cup Final win to play the whole game.

His 2007/08 campaign saw Mikel continue to grow in the 'Makelele' role, and by the end of it he had played more games than the old master of the position.

There were hitches. An unfortunate sending off at Old Trafford in Avram Grant's first game was followed by another red card in a Carling Cup semi-final against Everton, his fourth since joining Chelsea.

African Nations duty rendered the subsequent suspension irrelevant and although for Nigeria generally, it was an unremarkable tournament in Ghana, Mikel was their outstanding performer.

He started the 2008 Carling Cup Final shortly after his return but then spent a spell out of the side before ending with responsibility in some important games, including the home win over Manchester United, when he was outstanding.

Such displays became more commonplace last season when, with Michael Essien injured for much of the campaign, Mikel became the permanent anchor man, his calm touch especially prominent in a major contribution to the 2009 FA Cup win.

A model of measured consistency, he started the season in superb form, and went on to win the Etihad Airways Chelsea Player of the Month award for December.

The one thing lacking from the midfielder's game is goals, much like his former mentor Makelele.

Two in his first season, both FA Cup goals in the January of 2007 against lower league opposition, have not been added to since, though as he says, there are plenty of others in the midfield who can contribute goals, allowing him to concentrate on stopping them.