Michael Essien/import

Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Milan and the Ghana national team. 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". Essien can also play as a defender, both on the right of defence and in the centre.
Essien began his career playing for Liberty Professionals in his home country. In 2000, he moved to France joining Bastia. Essien spent three seasons at the club appearing in over 60 matches before joining league champions Olympique Lyonnais in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and also played in the UEFA 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.
Essien is a Ghanaian international. At youth level, he represented his country at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the latter team finishing as runner-up. Essien made his senior team debut in January 2002 and has represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where Ghana reached the Round of 16. He is often referred to as the Bison for his tough tackling style, boundless energy and physical presence on the pitch.
==External links==
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*Premier League Profile
*Chelsea F.C. Profile
*ESPN Profile
*FIFA Record
Category:1982 births
Category:Players
Category:Ghanaian footballers
Category:Ghana international players
Category:Ligue 1 players
Category:Premier League players
Category:SC Bastia players
Category:Chelsea F.C. players
Category:Olympique Lyonnais players
Category:Real Madrid C.F. players
Category:A.C. Milan players
Category:2002 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2014 FIFA World Cup players