In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Mikel Obi was sent off two times in matches against Reading and Arsenal.
But he learnt from his mistakes and was dismissed only twice in his next nine seasons with the Blues.
“I saw a red card in my first match after I transferred to Chelsea. After playing a few games, I saw another red card.
“The cards I saw made Jose Mourinho very unhappy and he advised me to follow Makalele to improve my game,” Mikel said in an interview with 61 Saat.
Mikel Obi also admitted that he improved as a player after understudying Makalele, who is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders.
“Makalele was an incredible player. His position, was perhaps one of the best in the world. As a young player, you want to intervene on every ball and fly on every ball. I started to change and improve myself when I started to watch Makalele.
“Because my position is perhaps the most important position for the team. Or one of the most important. Every move you make there affects the team completely,” he added.
