Michael Essien
| Date of birth | 03 December 1982 |
| Place of birth | Accra |
| Nationality | Ghanian |
| Weight | 78 kg |
| Height | 1.80 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
The Ghana international's career started with Liberty Professionals.
Michael Essien had an unsuccessful trial with Manchester United and moved on to Bastia and then to Olympique Lyonnais.
A truly magnificent midfielder, he won two league titles with Lyon and the French Player of the Year award for 2005 after which he joined Chelsea in August 2005 for £24.4 million with a four-year contract.
Michael's contract at Chelsea was extended to June 2012 in March 2007, to June 2013 in July 2008 and to June 2015 in June 2010.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC Bastia | 01 Jul 2000 | 01 Jul 2003 | |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 01 Jul 2003 | 19 Aug 2005 | |
| Chelsea | 19 Aug 2005 | 27 Jan 2014 | |
| Real Madrid | 31 Aug 2012 | 31 May 2013 | L |
| AC Milan | 27 Jan 2014 | 30 Jun 2015 | |
| Panathinaikos | 01 Jul 2015 | 20 Sep 2016 | |
| Persib Bandung | 14 Mar 2017 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | SC Bastia | French Championnat | 4 | 9 |
1 |
||
| 2001-02 | SC Bastia | French Championnat | 23 | 1 |
4 |
5
|
2
|
| 2002-03 | SC Bastia | French Championnat | 29 | 6 |
11
|
1
|
|
| 2003-04 | Olympique Lyonnais | French Championnat | 25 | 9 |
3 |
7
|
1
|
| 2003-04 | Olympique Lyonnais | UEFA Champions League | 7 | 1 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Olympique Lyonnais | French Championnat | 36 | 1 |
4 |
11
|
1
|
| 2004-05 | Olympique Lyonnais | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2005-06 | Chelsea | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2005-06 | Chelsea | Premier League | 27 | 4 |
2 |
5
|
|
| 2005-06 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 6 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | FA Community Shield | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 4 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | League Cup | 6 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | Premier League | 33 | 2 |
5
|
||
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 10 | 2 |
3
|
||
| 2007-08 | Chelsea | FA Community Shield | 1 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Chelsea | League Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Chelsea | Premier League | 23 | 4 |
6 |
5
|
1
|
| 2007-08 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 11 | 1 |
4
|
||
| 2008-09 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Chelsea | Premier League | 10 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 2008-09 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 5 | 2 |
1
|
||
| 2009-10 | Chelsea | FA Community Shield | 1 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Chelsea | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2009-10 | Chelsea | Premier League | 13 | 1 |
3 |
2
|
|
| 2009-10 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 5 | 1 |
1 |
2
|
|
| 2010-11 | Chelsea | FA Community Shield | 1 | ||||
| 2010-11 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2010-11 | Chelsea | Premier League | 32 | 1 |
3 |
5
|
1
|
| 2010-11 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 7 | 1 |
1 |
1
|
|
| 2011-12 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 3 |
||||
| 2011-12 | Chelsea | Premier League | 10 | 4 |
3
|
||
| 2011-12 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2012-13 | Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2013-14 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2013-14 | Chelsea | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
3
|
||
| 2013-14 | Chelsea | Premier League | 2 | 3 |
2
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 2000 | Bastia v Metz | W | 1-0 | French Championnat | 10 |
| 13 Oct 2000 | Bastia v AS Monaco | L | 0-2 | French Championnat | 11 |
| 04 Nov 2000 | RC Lens v Bastia | L | 4-0 | French Championnat | 14 |
| 18 Nov 2000 | Guingamp v Bastia | L | 1-0 | French Championnat | 16 |
| 25 Nov 2000 | Bastia v Olympique Marseille | W | 3-0 | French Championnat | 17 |
| 21 Dec 2000 | Lille v Bastia | L | 1-0 | French Championnat | 22 |
| 27 Jan 2001 | Rennes v Bastia | W | 1-2 | French Championnat | 24 |
| 07 Feb 2001 | Metz v Bastia | L | 3-2 | French Championnat | 26 |
| 17 Feb 2001 | AS Monaco v Bastia | L | 2-1 | French Championnat | 27 |
| 03 Mar 2001 | Bastia v Troyes | D | 2-2 | French Championnat | 28 |
| 17 Mar 2001 | Saint Etienne v Bastia | L | 2-1 | French Championnat | 29 |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Nantes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 31 |
| 19 May 2001 | Bastia v Toulouse | W | 5-1 | French Championnat | 34 |
| 28 Jul 2001 | Bastia v Sedan | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 1 |
| 04 Aug 2001 | Guingamp v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 2 |
| 12 Aug 2001 | Bastia v Olympique Lyonnais | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 3 |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Nantes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 4 |
| 25 Aug 2001 | Bastia v Olympique Marseille | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 5 |
| 08 Sep 2001 | Metz v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 6 |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Lille v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 8 |
| 29 Sep 2001 | Bastia v AS Monaco | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 9 |
| 13 Oct 2001 | FC Sochaux Montbeliard v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 10 |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Bastia v Rennes | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 11 |
| 27 Oct 2001 | Paris St Germain v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 12 |
| 03 Nov 2001 | Bastia v Lorient | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 13 |
| 24 Nov 2001 | Bastia v Bordeaux | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 15 |
| 28 Nov 2001 | RC Lens v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 16 |
| 08 Dec 2001 | Bastia v Troyes | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 17 |
| 19 Dec 2001 | Bastia v Guingamp | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 18 |
| 12 Jan 2002 | Olympique Marseille v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 21 |
| 16 Feb 2002 | Bastia v FC Sochaux Montbeliard | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 26 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Rennes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 27 |
| 16 Mar 2002 | Lorient v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 29 |
| 23 Mar 2002 | Bastia v Montpellier | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 30 |
| 06 Apr 2002 | Bordeaux v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 31 |
| 17 Apr 2002 | Troyes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 33 |
| 04 May 2002 | Sedan v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 34 |
| 03 Aug 2002 | Bastia v RC Lens | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 1 |
| 10 Aug 2002 | Nantes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 2 |
| 17 Aug 2002 | Bastia v AS Monaco | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 3 |
| 24 Aug 2002 | Olympique Lyonnais v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 4 |
| 31 Aug 2002 | Bastia v Rennes | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 5 |
| 11 Sep 2002 | Auxerre v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 6 |
| 15 Sep 2002 | Bastia v Ajaccio AC | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 7 |
| 22 Sep 2002 | Paris St Germain v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 8 |
| 09 Nov 2002 | Troyes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 14 |
| 16 Nov 2002 | Bastia v Guingamp | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 15 |
| 23 Nov 2002 | Montpellier v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 16 |
| 30 Nov 2002 | Bastia v Olympique Marseille | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 17 |
| 04 Dec 2002 | Bastia v Sedan | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 18 |
| 15 Dec 2002 | FC Sochaux Montbeliard v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 19 |
| 20 Dec 2002 | Bastia v Nantes | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 20 |
| 11 Jan 2003 | AS Monaco v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 21 |
| 15 Jan 2003 | Bastia v Olympique Lyonnais | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 22 |
| 22 Jan 2003 | Rennes v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 23 |
| 29 Jan 2003 | Bastia v Auxerre | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 24 |
| 01 Feb 2003 | Ajaccio AC v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 25 |
| 05 Feb 2003 | Bastia v Paris St Germain | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 26 |
| 08 Feb 2003 | Bordeaux v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 27 |
| 01 Mar 2003 | Le Havre v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 29 |
| 08 Mar 2003 | Bastia v Strasbourg | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 30 |
| 22 Mar 2003 | Lille v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 31 |
| 05 Apr 2003 | Bastia v Troyes | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 32 |
| 12 Apr 2003 | Guingamp v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 33 |
| 10 May 2003 | Sedan v Bastia | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 36 |
| 20 May 2003 | Bastia v FC Sochaux Montbeliard | D | 0-0 | French Championnat | 37 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Ghana | World Youth Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Ghana | World Youth Cup Under-20 | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Ghana | Africa Cup of Nations | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Ghana | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Ghana | World Youth Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Ghana | Four Nation Tournament, Tunisia | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 4 | 2 |
2
|
||
| 2005-06 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 5 | 1 |
3
|
||
| 2005-06 | Ghana | International Friendly | 4 | 1 |
|||
| 2006-07 | Ghana | International Friendly | 5 | 1 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Ghana | Africa Cup of Nations | 6 | 2 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 2007-08 | Ghana | International Friendly | 6 | ||||
| 2008-09 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 4 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Ghana | Africa Cup of Nations | 1 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2009-10 | Ghana | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2010-11 | Ghana | Africa Cup of Nations | 1 | ||||
| 2013-14 | Ghana | FIFA World Cup | 2 | 2 |
|||
| 2013-14 | Ghana | International Friendly | 2 |
1
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 2001 | Ghana v Paraguay | W | 2-1 | World Youth Cup | Group F |
| 21 Jun 2001 | Iran v Ghana | W | 0-1 | World Youth Cup | Group F |
| 24 Jun 2001 | Ghana v France | D | 0-0 | World Youth Cup | Group F |
| 28 Jun 2001 | Ecuador v Ghana | W | 0-1 | World Youth Cup Under-20 | 2nd round |
| 01 Jul 2001 | Ghana v Brazil | D | 1-1 | World Youth Cup | Quarter-final |
| 04 Jul 2001 | Egypt v Ghana | W | 0-2 | World Youth Cup | Semi-final |
| 08 Jul 2001 | Argentina v Ghana | L | 3-0 | World Youth Cup | Final |
| 04 Jan 2002 | Egypt v Ghana | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Jan 2002 | Ghana v Morocco | D | 0-0 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals Group B |
| 24 Jan 2002 | Ghana v South Africa | D | 0-0 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals Group B |
| 17 May 2002 | Slovenia v Ghana | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 30 Mar 2003 | Ghana v Madagascar | W | 3-3 (10-9) | FOUR NATION TOURNAMENT, TUNISIA | |
| 16 Nov 2003 | Somalia v Ghana | W | 0-5 | FIFA World Cup | Africa qualifying round |
| 05 Jun 2004 | Burkina Faso v Ghana | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 20 Jun 2004 | Ghana v South Africa | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 03 Jul 2004 | Uganda v Ghana | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 05 Sep 2004 | Ghana v Cape Verde Islands | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 08 Oct 2004 | Ghana v Congo DR | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 18 Jun 2005 | South Africa v Ghana | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 04 Sep 2005 | Ghana v Uganda | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 08 Oct 2005 | Cape Verde Islands v Ghana | W | 0-4 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group 2 |
| 01 Mar 2006 | Mexico v Ghana | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 26 May 2006 | Turkey v Ghana | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 29 May 2006 | Jamaica v Ghana | W | 1-4 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 2006 | Ghana v Korea Republic | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 2006 | Italy v Ghana | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 17 Jun 2006 | Czech Republic v Ghana | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 22 Jun 2006 | Ghana v USA | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 15 Aug 2006 | Togo v Ghana | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Oct 2006 | Japan v Ghana | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Oct 2006 | Korea Republic v Ghana | W | 1-3 | International Friendly | |
| 14 Nov 2006 | Australia v Ghana | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Feb 2007 | Ghana v Nigeria | W | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Aug 2007 | Ghana v Senegal | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Sep 2007 | Ghana v Morocco | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 11 Sep 2007 | Saudi Arabia v Ghana | L | 5-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Nov 2007 | Ghana v Togo | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Nov 2007 | Ghana v Benin | W | 4-2 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Jan 2008 | Ghana v Guinea | W | 2-1 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals Group A |
| 24 Jan 2008 | Ghana v Namibia | W | 1-0 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals Group A |
| 28 Jan 2008 | Ghana v Morocco | W | 2-0 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals Group A |
| 03 Feb 2008 | Ghana v Nigeria | W | 2-1 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals quarter-final |
| 07 Feb 2008 | Ghana v Cameroon | L | 0-1 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals semi-final |
| 09 Feb 2008 | Ghana v Ivory Coast | W | 4-2 | Africa Cup of Nations | Finals 3rd place |
| 01 Jun 2008 | Ghana v Libya | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round group 5 |
| 08 Jun 2008 | Lesotho v Ghana | W | 2-3 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round group 5 |
| 14 Jun 2008 | Gabon v Ghana | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round group 5 |
| 22 Jun 2008 | Ghana v Gabon | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round group 5 |
| 05 Sep 2008 | Libya v Ghana | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round group 5 |
| 29 Mar 2009 | Ghana v Benin | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 07 Jun 2009 | Mali v Ghana | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 20 Jun 2009 | Sudan v Ghana | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 05 Aug 2009 | Libya v Ghana | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Sep 2009 | Ghana v Sudan | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 09 Sep 2009 | Japan v Ghana | L | 4-3 | International Friendly | |
| 11 Oct 2009 | Benin v Ghana | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 15 Nov 2009 | Ghana v Mali | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 15 Jan 2010 | Ivory Coast v Ghana | L | 3-1 | Africa Cup of Nations | Group B |
| 03 Jun 2011 | Ghana v Congo | W | 3-1 | Africa Cup of Nations | Qualifying group I |
| 06 Sep 2013 | Ghana v Zambia | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group D |
| 15 Oct 2013 | Ghana v Egypt | W | 6-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 3rd round |
| 19 Nov 2013 | Egypt v Ghana | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 3rd round |
| 05 Mar 2014 | Montenegro v Ghana | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 31 May 2014 | Netherlands v Ghana | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Jun 2014 | Ghana v USA | L | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group G |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.