View source for Michael Essien

{{Football player infobox
| playername = Michael Essien
| image = MEssienChelsea06.png
| image_size = 150px
| caption = Essien in 2006
| fullname = Michael Kojo Essien<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Barry J. |editor-last=Hugman |title=The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11 |url=https://archive.org/details/pfafootballerswh0000unse_v9b9 |year=2010 |publisher=Mainstream Publishing |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-84596-601-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/pfafootballerswh0000unse_v9b9/page/n143 142]}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|12|3|df=y}}<ref>{{Hugman|22986|access-date=14 February 2019}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Accra]], Ghana
| height = 1.78 m<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pao.gr/en/team/squad?view=player&id=2|title=Michael Essien|publisher=Panathinaikos F.C.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709115418/http://www.pao.gr/en/team/squad?view=player&id=2|archive-date=9 July 2016}}</ref>
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| currentclub = [[FC Nordsjælland|Nordsjælland]] (assistant coach)
| clubnumber = 
| youthyears1 = 1998–1999
| youthclubs1 = [[Liberty Professionals F.C.|Liberty Professionals]]
| years1 = 2000–2003
| clubs1 = [[SC Bastia|Bastia]]
| caps1 = 66
| goals1 = 11
| years2 = 2003–2005
| clubs2 = [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]]
| caps2 = 71
| goals2 = 7
| years3 = 2005–2014
| clubs3 = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
| caps3 = 168
| goals3 = 17
| years4 = 2012–2013
| clubs4 = → [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] (loan)
| caps4 = 21
| goals4 = 2
| years5 = 2014–2015
| clubs5 = [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]]
| caps5 = 20
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2015–2016
| clubs6 = [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]]
| caps6 = 16
| goals6 = 1
| years7 = 2017–2018
| clubs7 = [[Persib Bandung]]
| caps7 = 29
| goals7 = 5
| years8 = 2019–2020
| clubs8 = [[Sabail FK|Sabail]]
| caps8 = 14
| goals8 = 0
| totalcaps = 402
| totalgoals = 43
| nationalyears1 = 2002–2014
| nationalteam1 = [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]]
| nationalcaps1 = 59
| nationalgoals1 = 9
| manageryears1 = 2020–
| managerclubs1 = [[FC Nordsjælland|Nordsjælland]] (assistant)
| club-update = 
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|GHA}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[association football|football]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Africa Cup of Nations]]}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[2008 Africa Cup of Nations|2008 Ghana]]|}}
{{Medal|RU|[[2010 Africa Cup of Nations|2010 Angola]]|}}
}}

'''Michael Kojo Essien''' (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[midfielder]] and is currently a member of [[Danish Superliga]] club [[FC Nordsjælland|Nordsjælland]]'s coaching staff. During his prime, Essien was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Essien was known not only for his defensive ability, but also his knack for scoring long-range goals. Essien was a physically strong [[midfielder]], who often played in a [[central midfield]] role.<ref name="gladiatore">{{cite news |url=http://direttanews.gazzetta.it/Article/330370-Essien-il-gladiatore-dai-piedi-di-velluto?refresh_ce |title=Essien, il gladiatore dai piedi di velluto |newspaper=La Gazzetta dello Sport |language=it |date=24 January 2014 |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-date=11 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811063214/http://direttanews.gazzetta.it/Article/330370-Essien-il-gladiatore-dai-piedi-di-velluto?refresh_ce |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was often touted as a [[box-to-box midfielder]] for his ability to exert energy in supporting both [[Midfielder#Attacking midfielder|offensive]] and [[Midfielder#Defensive midfielder|defensive]] play, and for his powerful and tough tackling playing style, which has earned him the nickname "The Bison".

==Early career==
Essien began his career with Liberty Professionals FC, a traditional club in Ghana. He played in the New Zealand Under-17 World Championship in 1999 and caught the attention of several European scouts.

==Club career==
In July 1999, Essien was signed by Bastia. Initially, the midfielder did not have a fixed position at the French club, rotating between left-back, right-back and defense. Due to an injury to one of his teammates, he ended up improvised as a midfielder. Essien adapted very well and shone in his new position, being compared to Frenchman [[Patrick Vieira]] for his physical strength and great marking power.

In the 2002–03 Ligue 1, Bastia had a great campaign and qualified for the UEFA Cup . Essien scored six goals and soon received offers from bigger teams, such as Lyon and [[Paris Saint-Germain F.C.|Paris Saint-Germain]], from France, and Everton and Liverpool, from England.

After turning down a contract from PSG, Essien signed for Lyon. At Les Gones, the Ghanaian was used more defensively, as a first midfielder.

He won a Ligue 1 title (French Championship) in two seasons at Lyon and was voted the best player in France in 2005. He was not part of the second national victory as he left mid-year, in August 2005.

After Lyon turned down a million-dollar offer from Chelsea for the player, Essien stated that he would like to leave the team. After much resistance, the French club allowed the English to sign the player for around 50 million dollars, becoming Chelsea's third most expensive player at that time. He made his debut for the Blues on August 21, 2005, against Arsenal, wearing the number 5 shirt. He soon became a starter in coach [[José Mourinho]]'s scheme, having played most of Chelsea's matches since its debut.

Heavily favoured in his first season by the London team, the player was the club's main highlight in the following season. He was later one of 50 athletes nominated by FIFA for the Best World Player award in 2005 and 2006, and was considered the third best African player in 2006, among other awards.

His last seasons with the Blues, however, were extremely hampered due to the repeated and serious injuries he suffered.

On August 31, 2012, Essien's loan to Real Madrid was confirmed until the end of the 2012–13 season. The player then returned to work with José Mourinho, who had been his coach during much of his time at Chelsea.

He arrived at Milan on January 24, 2014, for free, after eleven years at Chelsea. The Ghanaian midfielder signed an 18-month contract with the Italian team. 

After a reshuffle at Milan, on 2 June 2015 Essien signed for two years with Greek side Panathinaikos.

On March 15, 2017, he signed with Indonesian side Persib Bandung. Just over two years later, on March 16, 2019, he signed with Sabail, from Azerbaijan. 

==International career==
Essien competed in the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and the 2001 FIFA Youth World Cup with the Ghana youth team, and finished second with the youth national team in 2001. He played for the Ghana A national team for the first time; While wearing it against Egypt in the match they lost 2-0 on January 4, 2002; He scored his first goal from a penalty against Cape Verde in a 2-0 win on 5 September 2004. He also played for the national team in three African Cups of Nations and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, due to the injury he suffered in 2010, he could not make it into the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the national jersey. Essien has worn the national jersey 58 times so far and scored 9 goals. Moreover; He received the nickname Bizon with his physical characteristics, endless energy and harsh interventions.

==Career statistics==

===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballdatabase.eu/football.joueurs.michael.essien.67.en.html|title=Essien career stats|publisher=Football Database.eu|access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2014/clubs/player=48311/|title=Essien UEFA stats|publisher=[[UEFA]]|access-date=21 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ligue1.com/joueur/essien-michael|title=Essien French stats|work=[[Ligue 1|Ligue1.com]]|access-date=21 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510174418/http://www.ligue1.com/joueur/essien-michael|archive-date=10 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Appearances/Ea-Ez.htm|title=Essien Chelsea stats|publisher=Bounder Friardale.co.uk|access-date=21 January 2013}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes [[Coupe de France]], [[FA Cup]], [[Copa del Rey]], [[Coppa Italia]], [[Greek Football Cup]]}}
!colspan="2"|League cup{{efn|Includes [[Coupe de la ligue]], [[Football League Cup]]}}
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[SC Bastia|Bastia]]
|[[2000–01 SC Bastia season|2000–01]]
|[[Ligue 1]]
|13||1||2||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||15||1
|-
|[[2001–02 SC Bastia season|2001–02]]
|Ligue 1
|24||4||4||0||2||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||30||5
|-
|[[2002–03 SC Bastia season|2002–03]]
|Ligue 1
|29||6||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||31||6
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!66!!11!!7!!0!!3!!1!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!76!!12
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]]
|[[2003–04 Olympique Lyonnais season|2003–04]]
|Ligue 1
|34||3||2||0||1||0||8{{efn|Appearances in [[UEFA Champions League]]|name=UCL}}||0||1{{efn|Appearance in [[Trophée des champions]]|name=TDC}}||1||46||4
|-
|[[2004–05 Olympique Lyonnais season|2004–05]]
|Ligue 1
|37||4||2||0||0||0||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||5||1{{efn|name=TDC}}||0||50||9
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!71!!7!!4!!0!!1!!0!!18!!5!!2!!1!!96!!13
|-
|rowspan="9"|[[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
|[[2005–06 Chelsea F.C. season|2005–06]]
|[[Premier League]]
|31||2||4||0||1||0||6{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||colspan="2"|—||42||2
|-
|[[2006–07 Chelsea F.C. season|2006–07]]
|Premier League
|33||2||5||1||6||1||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||2||1{{efn|Appearance in [[FA Community Shield]]|name=CS}}||0||55||6
|-
|[[2007–08 Chelsea F.C. season|2007–08]]
|Premier League
|27||6||2||0||4||0||12{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||46||6
|-
|[[2008–09 Chelsea F.C. season|2008–09]]
|Premier League
|11||1||3||0||0||0||5{{efn|name=UCL}}||2||colspan="2"|—||19||3
|-
|[[2009–10 Chelsea F.C. season|2009–10]]
|Premier League
|14||3||0||0||1||0||6{{efn|name=UCL}}||1||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||22||4
|-
|[[2010–11 Chelsea F.C. season|2010–11]]
|Premier League
|33||3||2||0||0||0||8{{efn|name=UCL}}||1||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||44||4
|-
|[[2011–12 Chelsea F.C. season|2011–12]]
|Premier League
|14||0||3||0||0||0||2{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||colspan="2"|—||19||0
|-
|[[2013–14 Chelsea F.C. season|2013–14]]
|Premier League
|5||0||1||0||3||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||9||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!168!!17!!20!!1!!15!!1!!49!!6!!4!!0!!256!!25
|-
|[[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] (loan)
|[[2012–13 Real Madrid CF season|2012–13]]
|[[La Liga]]
|21||2||7||0||colspan="2"|—||7{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||colspan="2"|—||35||2
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[AC Milan|Milan]]
|[[2013–14 AC Milan season|2013–14]]
|[[Serie A]]
|7||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||2{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||colspan="2"|—||9||0
|-
|[[2014–15 AC Milan season|2014–15]]
|Serie A
|13||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||13||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!20!!0!!0!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!2!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!22!!0
|-
|[[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]]
|[[2015–16 Panathinaikos F.C. season|2015–16]]
|[[Super League Greece]]
|13||1||3||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||colspan="2"|—||16||1
|-
|[[Persib Bandung]]
|[[2017 Liga 1|2017]]
|[[Liga 1 (Indonesia)|Liga 1]]
|29||5||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan=2|—||29||5
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Sabail FK|Sabail]]
|[[2018–19 Sabail FK season|2018–19]]
|[[Azerbaijan Premier League]]
|4||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan=2|—||4||0
|-
|[[2019–20 Sabail FK season|2019–20]]
|Azerbaijan Premier League
|10||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||1{{efn|Appearance in [[UEFA Europa League]]}}||0||colspan=2|—||11||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!14!!0!!0!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!1!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!15!!0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!402!!43!!41!!1!!19!!2!!77!!11!!6!!1!!545!!58
|}

{{notelist}}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/gha-essien-intl.html|title=Michael Kojo Essien - International Appearances}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="13"|[[Ghana national football team|Ghana]]
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||5||1
|-
|2005||3||2
|-
|2006||11||2
|-
|2007||6||0
|-
|2008||12||3
|-
|2009||8||1
|-
|2010||1||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
|2012||0||0
|-
|2013||3||0
|-
|2014||3||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!59!!9
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Michael Essien<ref name="nft">{{NFT|2634}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/mickael-essien/621/|title=Michael Essien.|website=Soccerway.}}</ref>
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
|align="center"| 1 || 5 September 2004 || [[Baba Yara Stadium]], Kumasi, Ghana || {{fb|CPV}} ||align="center"| 1-0 ||align="center"| 2-0 || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification]] 
|-
|align="center"| 2 || 18 June 2005 || [[FNB Stadium]], Johannesburg, South Africa || {{fb|RSA}} ||align="center"| 2-0 ||align="center"| 2-0 || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
|align="center"| 3 || 4 September 2005 || [[Baba Yara Stadium]], Kumasi, Ghana || {{fb|UGA}} ||align="center"| 1-0 ||align="center"| 2-0 || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
|align="center"| 4 || 6 April 2006 || [[Easter Road Stadium]], Edinburgh, Scotland || {{fb|KOR}} ||align="center"| 3-1 ||align="center"| 3-1
| [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|-
|align="center"| 5 || 8 September 2006 || [[Seoul World Cup Stadium]], Seoul, South Korea || {{fb|KOR}} ||align="center"| 2-0 ||align="center"| 3-1
| [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|-
|align="center"| 6 || 29 January 2008 || [[Ohene Djan Stadium]], Accra, Ghana || {{fb|MAR}} ||align="center"| 1-0 ||align="center"| 2-0
| [[2008 Africa Cup of Nations]]
|-
|align="center"| 7 || 3 February 2008 || [[Ohene Djan Stadium]], Accra, Ghana || {{fb|NGA}} ||align="center"| 1-1 ||align="center"| 2-1
| [[2008 Africa Cup of Nations]]
|-
|align="center"| 8 || 26 March 2008 || [[Craven Cottage]] Stadium, Fulham, England || {{fb|MEX}} ||align="center"| 1-0 ||align="center"| 1-2
| [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|-
|align="center"| 9 || 6 September 2009 || [[Ohene Djan Stadium]], Accra, Ghana || {{fb|SDN}} ||align="center"| 2-0 ||align="center"| 2-0
| [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|}

==Honours==
[[File:Chelsea Legends 1 Inter Forever 4 (28453496098) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Essien in 2018]]
'''Lyon'''<ref name="Honours">{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurosport.com/football/michael-essien_prs205952/person.shtml|title=Michael Essien – PRIZE LIST|access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref>
*[[Ligue 1]]: [[2003–04 Ligue 1|2003–04]], [[2004–05 Ligue 1|2004–05]]
*[[Trophée des Champions]]: [[2003 Trophée des Champions|2003]], [[2004 Trophée des Champions|2004]]

'''Chelsea'''<ref name="Honours"/>
*[[Premier League]]: [[2005–06 FA Premier League|2005–06]], [[2009–10 Premier League|2009–10]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/2890/Michael-Essien/overview |title=Michael Essien: Overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref>
*[[FA Cup]]: [[2006–07 FA Cup|2006–07]], [[2008–09 FA Cup|2008–09]], [[2009–10 FA Cup|2009–10]], [[2011–12 FA Cup|2011–12]]
*[[Football League Cup]]: [[2006–07 Football League Cup|2006–07]];<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/6371613.stm |title=Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal |website=BBC Sport |date=24 February 2008 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> runner-up: [[2007–08 Football League Cup|2007–08]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7256729.stm |title=Tottenham 2–1 Chelsea |first=Jonathan |last=Stevenson |website=BBC Sport |date=24 February 2008 |access-date=25 March 2024}}</ref>
*[[FA Community Shield]]: [[2009 FA Community Shield|2009]]
*[[UEFA Champions League]]: [[2011–12 UEFA Champions League|2011–12]]; runner-up: [[2007–08 UEFA Champions League|2007–08]]

'''Ghana'''
*[[Africa Cup of Nations]] runner-up: [[2010 Africa Cup of Nations|2010]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=287699|title=Ghana v Egypt - African Nations Cup|website=espn.com|publisher=ESPN|date=31 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629024733/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=287699|archive-date=29 June 2011}}</ref> third place: [[2008 Africa Cup of Nations|2008]]<ref>{{cite web |date=9 February 2008 |title=26th Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008 |url=http://www.cafonline.com/?lng=1&module=resultats_national&rub=1&div=1&res=95849&ma=31&CmpetPere=0&cmpt=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214210815/http://www.cafonline50.com/?lng=1&module=resultats_national&rub=1&div=1&res=95849&ma=31&CmpetPere=0&cmpt=0 |archive-date=14 February 2008 |website=cafonline.com |publisher=CAF}}</ref>
*[[FIFA U-17 World Cup]] runner-up: 1999
*[[FIFA U-20 World Cup]] runner-up: [[2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup|2001]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/archive/argentina2001/teams/team=1888264/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717032557/http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/archive/argentina2001/teams/team=1888264/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 July 2015|title=FIFA World Youth Championship Argentina 2001 - Teams - Ghana - Matches|website=FIFA.com|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>

'''Individual'''
*[[UNFP Player of the Month|Ligue 1 Player of the Month]]: October 2004
*[[Ligue 1 Player of the Year]]: 2004–05
*[[Trophées UNFP du football#Team of the Year|Ligue 1 Team of the Year]]: 2002–03, 2004–05
*[[CAF Team of the Year]]: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
*[[BBC African Footballer of the Year]]: 2006<ref>{{cite news |title=Essien wins BBC African award |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/6224665.stm |website=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=5 January 2007 |access-date=17 August 2009 }}</ref>
*[[Ghana Player of the Year]]: 2007<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Essien named Footballer of the Year |url=https://www.ghanafa.org/essien-named-footballer-of-the-year |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Ghana Football Association}}</ref>
*[[Chelsea Player of the Year]]: 2007<ref name="Player of the Year"/>
*[[Chelsea Player of the Year#Goal of the Year|Chelsea Goal of the Year]]: 2006–07 vs Arsenal,<ref name="Player of the Year">{{cite web|url=http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/2363410 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130425091228/http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/2363410 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2013 |title=Cech Wins the Big One |date=19 May 2011 |access-date=25 June 2014 |publisher=Chelsea FC |work=chelseafc.com }}</ref> 2008–09 vs Barcelona<ref name="Player of the Year"/>
*[[2008 Africa Cup of Nations#Awards|2008 Africa Cup of Nations]]: Team of the Tournament<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.modernghana.com/news2/158365/2/le-roy-attacks-caf-on-nations-cup-all-star-team.html |title=Le Roy Attacks CAF on Nations Cup All-Star Team |date=22 February 2008 |access-date=21 January 2013|work=ModernGhana.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ghana squad 2002 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{Ghana Squad 2006 World Cup}}
{{Ghana squad 2008 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{Ghana squad 2010 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{Ghana squad 2014 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Ghanaian Footballer of the Year}}

{{sports-bio-stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Essien, Michael}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ghanaian footballers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Accra]]