MICHAEL KOJO ESSIEN
MICHAEL KOJO ESSIEN
Michael Kojo Essien was born on 3rd of December 1982.His a Ghanaian intenational who plays for Chelsea fc. He is a 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 tough tackling style which has earned him the nickname "The Bison".
THE BLACK STAR MIDFIELD GENERAL
Did you know that Michael Essien played for Ghana at the 1999 FIFA under 17 world cup and the 2001 U20 world cup? Essien began his career playing for Liberty Professionals in his home country. In 2000, he moved to France joining Bastia. He spent three seasons at the club appearing in over 60 matches before joining Lyon in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 seasons. He also played in the 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.
CLUB CAREER
BASTIA
In July 2000, Essien was signed by Division 1 club Bastia and made his debut for the club on 30 September 2000 in a league match against Metz appearing as a substitute for captain Laurent Casanova.In the 2002–03 season, Essien developed into an undisputed starter under new manager Gérard Gili.
However, his tenacious and physical style of play also began to take
form as he collected a staggering 12 yellow cards in league play. He
opened the new campaign by scoring on his season debut against Lens
in a 1–1 draw and converted five more league goals, which included one
in a surprising 2–0 victory over the defending champions Lyon.[14][15] Following the campaign, in which Bastia finished mid-table for the third consecutive season, Essien drew interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, and Marseille.
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS
Paris Saint-Germain made Bastia the best offer and it was accepted,
but Essien rejected PSG's contract offer, and instead agreed terms with
the two-time defending champions Lyon, who paid Bastia €7.8 million for
the transfer.
Upon his arrival, Essien was assigned the number 4 shirt and played as a
box-to-box midfielder, which allowed him the freedom to protect and
assist Juninho while defensive midfielders Edmilson and Diarra assisted the defence and directed the distribution. His performances in the league resulted in him being voted the 2005 player of the year by France's (UNFP). Essien also helped Lyon to reach the quarter-finals of the 2004-05 champions league
where he put in dynamic performances and scored five goals in the
tournament.At the end of the season he was named Ligue 1 player of the year.
His honour started a record streak of UNFP Player of the Year awards
for Lyon players. He was also nominated for the 2005 FIFA Award where he placed 22nd in 2005. His acclaim drew attention from Chelsea which he eventually signed for.
CHELSEA
On 14 August 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £24.4 million fee for the Ghanaian, finally ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas. At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, beating the £24 million they paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on 19 August.
On 15 December 2005, he was handed a two-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle on Dietmar Hamann, which resulted in his suspension from Chelsea's Champions League second round tie with eventual European champions Barcelona.
Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge – stating while he
desires to be perceived as a player who "unsettles" opponents, he was
not a malicious or an unsporting player; Hamann publicly accepted
Essien's apology. In January 2006, Essien was himself stretchered off
the field, and was sidelined for three weeks.
On 12 August 2007, Essien grabbed the winner with his first goal of the 2007-08 campaign, as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City, to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home – eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63 set between 1978 and 1981.On 10 October 2007, he was nominated for the prestigious 2007 FIFA footballer of the year Award for the third consecutive year and on 21 October 2007 Essien was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d' Or Award for the third consecutive year as well. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On 12 December 2007, Essien was nominated for the 2007 African footballer of the year a third consecutive time he had been nominated. He was runner-up to that year's winner Frederic Kanoute.
On 22 July 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013. He also extended his contract on 12 March 2007.
In pre-season training for the 2011-12 season, Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, and received surgery on 11 July 2011. His recovery was said to take up to six months.However, Essien began training lightly in late November 2011. Essien made his comeback for Chelsea from a serious knee injury on 9 January 2012, playing for 75 minutes of the reserves' 3–2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. He made his 150th Premier League appearance for Chelsea as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Sunderland. On 21 January 2012, Essien featured as late substitute in Chelsea's 0–0 draw with Norwich City
REAL MADRID (loan)
On 31 August 2012, Essien signed a season-long loan deal with real Madrid, linking him up with Jos Mourinho, the manager who signed him for Chelsea. On 3 November 2012, Essien scored his first goal for Real Madrid. During the last game of the season, and Essien's last game as a Madrid player, Essien scored his second goal for Real Madrid, a goal he dedicated to his manager Jose Mourinho.
NET WORTH
According to goal.com, Michael is worth 16.5 million pounds. he is at number 48 spot.
MICHAEL KOJO ESSIEN "THE BISON"
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