Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is convinced the level of African football is continuing to rise.

Obi Mikel won the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria in January.

"The level has gone right up," he told the Chelsea magazine. "So to win it this time was just amazing. To win it at a stage when African football has become so interesting - when there are so many African players abroad - was really, really difficult, and we did it."