When Mikel Obi snubbed Ferguson and Manchester United for Chelsea in one of the most controversial transfers

Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi finally met with Sir Alex Ferguson on the night of the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, June 1.

Taking to his Instagram, Mikel shared a photo he took with the legendary Manchester United manager at Wembley with caption, “He has forgiven me.”

This brings back memories of Mikel Obi controversial transfer to the Premier League involving two giants of English football, Chelsea and Manchester United back in 2006.

Mikel was one of the best young football talents in the world following the 2005 Under-17 FIFA World Cup with Nigeria.

The young prospect appeared to have been signed by the Red Devils from the Norwegian club Lyn Oslo with a deal subsequently announced.

Mikel's highly publicized transfer to Manchester United was abruptly called off after Chelsea hijacked the deal, despite a press conference and photos of him in a United jersey.

Mikel later revealed that he felt coerced into the move, leading to the dramatic collapse of the transfer.

“I signed a contract with Manchester United and I didn’t do that of my own free will,” Mikel told Sky Sports News in 2006.

“I was put under a lot of pressure to do that. I was denied advice from my agent and people I trust and I didn’t get much time to think about that.

“I did something I did not want to do. Because of the pressure from Mr Morgan (Andersen, Lyn’s sporting director) and a representative of United it became too much.

“I was pushed, and I had nobody on my side, so I had to do it.

“I was denied a chance to have a week to think about it and get some independent advice from people so the pressure was too much.

Mikel eventually ended up at Stamford Bridge where he spent eleven successful seasons at the club and won two Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one Europa League title, four FA Cup, two League Cup and one Community Shield title.