Where is essien playing now

On the international front, Essien also called it a day with his country following the World Cup in which he made one appearance. Following the dispute, in which Essien won an appeal after Panathinaikos failed to remit money owed to him, he made the surprising step of joining Indonesian side Persib Bandung in Just a year later though and African football legend was without a club again as Persib had to release him after filling their maximum quota of foreign players.

Essien was seen in match action late in November when he took part in the EE Wembley Cup and has since told Ghanaian media outlets that he is aiming to play on for two more years. The Chelsea great is also reportedly considering a coaching career and that he will seek advice from former boss and current Manchester United — the club who only failed to sign him in due to a failure to obtain a work permit — chief Jose Mourinho.

You are here: Home Players Michael Essien. Football Blog. Currently no blogs for today. Football Betting News. Currently no news for today. Whether it's the Johnstone's Paint Trophy or the Champions League, Soccerbase will ensure you don't experience a big cup upset. Agonising over Aberdeen? Mourinho favoured a three-man midfield consisting of Tiago, Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard, with the former two allowing Lampard the freedom to strut his stuff further forward, but the Blues boss felt the need for an upgrade on his compatriot Tiago.

At 22, he was in the right spot to be moulded into a Mourinho player: old enough to not require mollycoddling but young and ambitious enough to be coached into a footballer fit for the highest level. The Ghanaian established himself in the Chelsea XI alongside Makelele and Lampard as they successfully defended their title, making 31 appearances in the league and 41 in all competitions.

However, in the years that followed Essien reined in the nasty tackles as he grew in influence within the Chelsea ranks. His versatility was well known from his Lyon days and, despite his insistence that he preferred to play in central midfield, he was never one to complain, going about his duties admirably wherever he was asked to. Right-back, centre-back or in midfield, he had no problems fitting in seamlessly in any of those positions.

Not especially known for goal scoring, Essien chipped in with a few that were, more often than not, of the highest quality. One of the enduring images of the Champions League final is of Cristiano Ronaldo towering above Essien to score the opener for Manchester United as the Ghanaian started at right-back. He endured a tough start against Ronaldo, who was having arguably the best season ever by a Premier League player at the time.

But what is not quickly remembered is that Essien grew gradually into the game and eventually stopped the rot.