Michael Essien Pics

Michael

Essien

03 December 1982

Kojo

69.5

Athletic

Brown - Dark

Black

Accra

Sagittarius

Black

Chelsea FC

Male

Ghanaian

1

Michael Kojo Essien (also known as Mickaël Essien; born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Ghana national team. He is a midfielder who has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert boundless energy in supporting offensive and defensive play. Essien can also play in the defending position as a right back or centre back.

Michael Kojo Essien or Mickaël Essien (born December 3, 1982 in Accra) is a Ghanaian footballer nicknamed `The Bison` due to his formidable strength, competitiveness and combativeness in the midfield area. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is a central midfielder and plays as a deep-lying playmaker for the Black Stars, the Ghana national football team but is employed all over the pitch at Chelsea due to his versatility. He is the most expensive African footballer of all-time. Contents [hide] * 1 Club career o 1.1 SC Bastia o 1.2 Olympique Lyonnais o 1.3 Chelsea * 2 International career * 3 Playing Honours o 3.1 Club o 3.2 International * 4 Individual Honours * 5 Quotes * 6 Notes and references * 7 External links [edit] Club career Born to Ghanaian parents Aba Gyandoh and James Essien, Essien began his career in a local club in his native Ghana, called Liberty Professionals after graduating from St Augustine College. He broke through when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.[2] This led to considerable attention from European scouts. [edit] SC Bastia In July 2000, French club SC Bastia signed Essien. At Bastia, he did not command a regular place in the team, playing at right back, left back and in central defence. Then because of an injury to one of his teammates, he was given a temporary opportunity to play in central midfield. Essien flourished in this new role. Soon he was compared to Frenchman Patrick Vieira because of his ability to go from box to box. In 2002/2003 season he helped Bastia qualify for the UEFA Cup. He scored six goals that season. He became physically stronger and a harder tackler. Soon Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille made offers for him. He was not only popular in France, but also in England.[citation needed] [edit] Olympique Lyonnais PSG made the best offer and Bastia accepted it,[3] but Essien rejected the contract, and instead agreed terms with Lyon who paid Bastia €7.8 million.[4] At Lyon, Essien played a more defensive midfield role, featuring regularly in the Lyon team that won the third and fourth of their current string of seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He was also voted the 2005 Player of the Year by France`s National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).[5] It was announced on August 14 2005 that Lyon and Chelsea had agreed a £24m fee for the Ghanaian, finally ending one of the longest running transfer sagas in recent English football history. Essien is now Chelsea`s second most expensive signing after the club signed Ukraine forward and captain Andriy Shevchenko from A.C. Milan on May 22, 2006 in a £30m deal. [edit] Chelsea The transfer went through on August 19, purportedly for a slightly reduced fee of £24.4m (€38M) nevertheless breaking Chelsea`s previous record transfer fee[6], which they achieved the previous season by paying £24m for Olympique Marseille`s Didier Drogba. He made his debut against Arsenal F.C. on August 21, wearing the number 5 on his shirt. He soon cemented his place in José Mourinho`s side, starting the majority of the league games since his debut. He made an assist in his full debut against West Bromwich Albion F.C., and he replaced the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland A.F.C. in the 2–0 win on September 10, 2005. The Chelsea midfield looks to have been strengthened by the powerful, athletic Essien, who could well form part of the Chelsea midfield with Frank Lampard for years to come. Essien has had amazing goals in the past, such as his cracker of a goal against Arsenal. On December 15, he was handed a 2-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle on Dietmar Hamann, which resulted in his suspension[7] from Chelsea`s UEFA Champions League second round tie with eventual European champions F.C. Barcelona. Chelsea lost the two-legged tie, 3–2 on aggregate. Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge (Hamann publicly accepted the apology) and insists that while he desires to be perceived as a player who `unsettles` opponents, he is not a malicious or unsporting player. In January 2006, Essien was himself stretchered off the field, the victim of a poor challenge from West Ham United captain Nigel Reo-Coker, which sidelined him for three weeks. Essien scored his first goal for Chelsea in March 2006, in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His second goal came on April 17, 2006 against Everton with a powerful strike after an assertive burst through the defensive line. Essien ended his debut season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League. However, the arrival of midfielders Michael Ballack from Bayern München and John Obi Mikel from Lyn Oslo brought stiffer competition for places at Chelsea. On September 12, 2006, Essien scored his first UEFA Champions Leag

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Essien

Michael Kojo Essien

Roman Catholic

29