Even before he kicked a ball for his new club, there were high praises for the then young Ghanaian midfielder with head coach Jose Mourinho raving about the player’s exceptional qualities.
The Special One was in need of reinforcement in midfield although he had won the Premier League in his first season for the club, and his decision to settle on the Ghanaian speaks volume of the regard he had for him.
“I wanted him because I was looking for a player to finish what we believe is a very strong squad in every position and every department of our squad,” said Mourinho.
“We believe he’s the best we can get for that position, he can play in every position of midfield, multifunctional and it’s important.
“Of course he will fight for his place but we know he can play in other positions, it’s important in a squad.
“He’s young, he has a lot of ambition, he won a lot of things but only in the French League.
There was certainly no better description for the player who had made his mark in the French Ligue before his arrival in England .
Michael Essien moved to France to join Bastia in 2000, where he would spend three seasons and appear in over 60 matches for the club.
His next move would be a step up as he joined Ligue 1 title holders Lyon in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003/04 and 2004/05, while winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 2005.
He quickly settled in at Chelsea as he made 31 appearances in the Premier League and netted 2 goals as the club went on to defend their crown.
The Bull as he was famously known would become an integral part of the Chelsea setup thereafter, scoring some incredible goals at the club.
The famous ones will of course be the one he scored against Arsenal and the one against Barcelona which was counted among UEFA’s greatest 60 goals in 2014.
Essien’s nine seasons at Chelsea made him one of the best defensive midfielders at the club and in the Premier League, but even more so his club and country benefitted immensely from his move from Lyon to Chelsea.
The beginning of Chelsea in Ghana
While clubs pay maximum attention to the abilities of players before making a move for them, the commercialization aspect of every transfer deal cannot be underestimated.
Football clubs are interested in expanding their brand and geographical presence and the Essien deal was certainly a key moment in Chelsea establishing their presence in Ghana.
Until his arrival at Chelsea, no Ghanaian player had represented the Chelsea men’s team, making Essien the first player to do so.
And as is common knowledge in the country, Ghanaians fell in love with Chelsea because of Essien, and since then there has been an incredible rise in the number of people supporting the club, making them arguably the most supported club in the country.
There are now official and recognized fanbase and supporters union in the country in areas such as Takoradi and Accra.
Perhaps the club sought to cement and grow that even more with the signings of Baba Rahman and Christian Atsu, but their inability to excel like their phenomenal predecessor means that Essien’s legacy still lives on as the man who brought Chelsea to Ghana.
The Ghanaian legacy
Undoubtedly, Essien’s move to Chelsea gave him an incredible amount of international exposure.
He only did not become a key man for Chelsea or the national team especially at the 2006 World Cup but became a hero for young Ghanaian players, serving as an inspiration for them to achieve greater heights in their career.
This is evidenced by the words of Thomas Partey, a player who has been compared to Essien on countless occasions.
“He’s a fantastic midfielder. He fights for every ball, he’s a great legend. For me, he’s one of the best midfielders that we’ve ever had in Africa”, the Arsenal midfielder said of Essien.
“I think we’ve all seen what he has done at Chelsea, what he has done for the Black Stars and for me, he’s my idol.
“I grew up watching Michael Essien, [Sulley] Muntari, the Ayew brothers – they are the people I look up to and they made a lot of impact on Ghanaians. I think this is my moment and I have to make sure I take it.”
The legacy still lives on…
According to Jose Mourinho, a manger who has visited Ghana on several occasions, Essien is an embodiment of who a Ghanaian player is: one who has a great mentality and ready to fight always.
He might divide opinions about his commitment to the Black Stars or his status as a legend at Chelsea, but one thing is for sure: the Essien legacy at club and country still lives on.
