Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel wasted no time rubbing salt into Arsenal’s wounds after their Champions League final defeat to PSG on penalties last Saturday, backing Chelsea’s pointed social media dig at their London rivals and delivering a blunt verdict of his own — and he has the medals to back it up.

Chelsea’s official Instagram account posted a picture of the Champions League trophy at Stamford Bridge the day after Arsenal’s loss, captioning it, “Come and visit London’s home of trophies.”

The post was aimed squarely at Arsenal, who remain without a European title despite reaching two Champions League finals in the club’s history.

When shown the post, the former Chelsea midfielder did not hold back.

“Amazing post. This trophy — wow, amazing trophy. Arsenal cannot touch this trophy. They cannot touch it. We are the team,” he said.

Pressed on whether Chelsea owed Arsenal any sympathy following their shootout heartbreak, Mikel was equally blunt, saying, “Never say sorry to Arsenal. We are the only team in London that have won the Champions League. It is amazing to see Arsenal do what they do best — they always find a way to bottle it, and they did.”

Mikel also took aim at Arsenal’s fanbase before predicting a Chelsea resurgence next season.

“Arsenal fans are the worst fans — delusional. But Chelsea, we are the best. We have had a poor season, but next season we are going to be back,” he added.

The Nigerian speaks with the authority of a man who lived those European nights first-hand.

Mikel spent eleven years at Chelsea and won nine major trophies, the crown jewel of which was the UEFA Champions League in 2012, where he played the full 120 minutes in the final against Bayern Munich in what remains one of the finest performances of his career.

He had also been outstanding across both legs of the epic semi-final victory over Barcelona that year. The following season, he added the UEFA Europa League to his collection, making him one of the very few players to have won both major European club trophies. In all, he left Stamford Bridge in 2017 having won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup twice, and both the Champions League and Europa League.

Arsenal, by contrast, have never won a European trophy in their 140-year history. Their best previous showing in the Champions League was a runners-up finish in 2006, when they lost to Barcelona in Paris, and Saturday night in Budapest represented their first return to a final since. The Gunners missed two penalties in the shootout as PSG claimed their second consecutive Champions League title, extending Arsenal’s wait for the one trophy that has always eluded them.