Michael Essien
Michael Essien playing for Real Madrid in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Kojo Essien | ||
| Date of birth | 3 December 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Liberty Professionals | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Bastia | 66 | (11) |
| 2003–2005 | Lyon | 71 | (7) |
| 2005–2014 | Chelsea | 168 | (17) |
| 2012–2013 | → Real Madrid (loan) | 20 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Milan | 20 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Panathinaikos | 12 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002–2014 | Ghana | 58 | (9) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 March 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:41, 2 June 2015 (UTC) |
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Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who last played for Panathinaikos and the Ghana national team. He is a physically strong midfielder who has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert energy in supporting offensive and defensive play and for his powerful and tough tackling playing style which has earned him the nickname "The Bison". Essien can also play as a defender, both on the right of defence and in the centre.
Essien started his career playing for Liberty Professionals in his home country. In 2000, he moved to France joining Bastia. Essien spent three seasons at the club appearing in over 60 matches before joining league champions Olympique Lyonnais in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. During his five-year stint in France, he acquired French citizenship. In 2005, Essien signed with Chelsea for a fee of £24.4 million and, at the time of his signing, was the most expensive African footballer in history. At Chelsea, Essien helped the club win the Premier League in 2006 and 2010, as well as three FA Cups and one Football League Cup. In 2008, he appeared in the UEFA Champions League Final. He has won the Chelsea Goal of the season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons.
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