Edem Mensah
Michael Essien Career Achievements
Michael Essien was born on December 3, 1982, and is currently 41 years old. Essien is 1.78 meters (5 ft 10 in) tall.
Michael Essien is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played for several clubs throughout his career just like his fellow countryman, Asamoah Gyan.
As a football lover, Michael Essien will be my all-time Ghanaian favorite footballer for his humble nature on and off the field and attitude towards the game.
He began his football career at Liberty Professionals in Ghana and played for Bastia in France before joining Lyon in 2003.
Later, in 2005, he was signed by Chelsea for a transfer fee of £24.4 million, making him the most expensive African footballer at the time.
Essien won back-to-back league titles with Lyon in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and helped Chelsea win the Premier League twice in 2006 and 2010.
He also represented Ghana at the senior level and played for them in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cups.
Michael Essien’s Power
Michael Essien is a midfielder known for his physical strength and ability to play in both offensive and defensive positions.
He was nicknamed “The Bison” due to his powerful and tough tackling style.
Besides his work-rate, physicality, and defensive skills, Essien was also known for his exceptional technique, vision, tactical intelligence, and leadership qualities.
He could play as a midfielder and a defender, and he was a powerful striker of the ball from a long distance.
Career Achievement:
Individual Achievement
Michael Essien was named Ligue 1 Player of the Month for October 2004.
Michael Essien was Ligue 1 Player of the Year for 2004-05.
He was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for 2002-03 and 2004-05.
Essien was also named to the CAF Team of the Year four times, in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009.
Michael Essien won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award in 2006.
In addition, he was named Ghana Player of the Year in 2007 and Chelsea Player of the Year in 2007.
Essien scored two incredible goals for Chelsea, which were named Chelsea Goal of the Year for the 2006-07 season against Arsenal and the 2008-09 season against Barcelona.
Finally, he was included in the Team of the Tournament for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
Clubs Achievement
Michael Essien at Lyon
He won the Ligue 1 twice with Lyon in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and the Trophée des Champions twice in 2003 and 2004.
Michael Essien at Chelsea
With Chelsea, Essien won the Premier League twice in 2005-06 and 2009-10.
Essien won the FA Cup four times in 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2011-12.
He also won the Football League Cup in 2006-07.
Michael Essien won the FA Community Shield in 2009.
Essien was also a runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in 2007-08 and won it in 2011-12.
Michael Essien with Ghana
As part of the Ghana national team, Essien came third in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 and was a runner-up in 2010. This part of Michael Essien’s career achievements is hugely celebrated in Ghana.
Additionally, he was a runner-up in both the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1999 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2001.
Michael Essien played for Ghana’s national team in over 50 matches and was a highly skilled midfielder, renowned for his defensive abilities and long-range goal-scoring talent.
Essien’s Coaching Career
Michael Essien trained with the Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland.
During his training, he got the opportunity to participate in the work around the club’s Superliga team and several of the academy teams, which served as an inspiration for his ongoing coaching education.
Nordsjælland is in partnership with Right to Dream Academy in Ghana.
On 9 September 2020, the club confirmed that Michael Essien would join the club’s coaching team for the 2020-21 season in an assistant role, participating in the training sessions to implement exercises and contribute to the coaching team’s evaluations.
