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| Full Name |
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Michael Essien |
| Date of Birth |
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December 3, 1982 |
| Place of Birth |
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Accra, Ghana |
| Height |
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1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Current Club |
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Chelsea |
| Previous Clubs |
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Liberty Professionals, Bastia & Lyon |
| Playing Position |
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Defensive Midfielder |
| Number |
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5 |
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 Michael Essien (born December 3, 1982 in Ghana) is a Ghanaian International footballer. 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.
Born in Accra to Ghanaian parents Aba Gyandoh and James Essien, Michael began his career in a local club in his native Ghana, called Liberty Professionals FC after graduating from St Augustine College. He broke through when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. This led to considerable attention from European scouts.
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In July 2000, French club SC Bastia signed Essien. Michael had trials at Manchester United before joining Bastia. 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 Viera 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.
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PSG made the best offer and Bastia accepted it, but Essien rejected the contract, and instead agreed terms with Lyon. 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 six consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He was also voted the 2005 Player of the Year by France's National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).
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 The transfer went through on 19 August, purportedly for a fee of £24.4m breaking Chelsea's previous record transfer fee. He made his debut against Arsenal 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.
Michael scored his first goal for Chelsea in March 2006, in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, ending his debut season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League. On September 12, 2006....
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| Club |
Match |
Result |
 SC Bastia |
French Cup |
Finalist: 2002 |
| Olyipique Lyon |
French Ligue 1 |
Winner:
2003-04
2004-05 |
 Chelsea |
Premier League |
Winner: 2005-06 |
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English League Cup |
Winner: 2007 |
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English FA Cup
English FA Cup
Community Shield
Premier League
English FA Cup |
Winner: 2007
Winner: 2009
Winner: 2009
Winner: 2009-10
Winner: 2010 |
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| Match |
Result |
| FIFA U-17 World Championship |
3rd Place: 1999 |
| FIFA World Youth Championship |
Runner-up: 2001 |
| African Cup of Nations |
3rd Place: 2008 |
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| Achievement |
Position / Rank |
| FIFA U-17 World Championship |
22nd 2005, 22nd 2006, 15th 2007 |
| Ballon d'Or |
22nd 2005, 27th 2006,
24th 2007 |
| African Footballer of the Year |
3rd 2005, 3rd 2006,
2nd 2007 |
| FIFPro World XI |
Nomination 2007 |
| 2005 French Player of the Year |
Winner |
| CAF African Player of All-Time |
11th Best |
| CAF's Africa Top 50 Best Players of All-Time |
Nomination |
| FIFA All-Star Midfielder |
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| BBC African player of the year for 2006/2007 |
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| 2006 CAF African All-Star Midfielder |
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| 2006/2007 Chelsea F.C. |
Player of the Season |
2006/2007 Chelsea F.C. ( Home v Arsenal, 10 Dec 06 )
2008]
2008/2009 Chelsea F.C. ( Home v Barcelona, 06 May 09 )
2009] |
Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season |
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