Michael Essien

Ghanaian footballer (born 1982)

Ghana Midfielder

43Age

59Int'l caps

9Int'l goals

8Clubs

405Club apps

43Club goals

177Height (cm)

Michael Essien: profile

Michael Essien (born 3 December 1982 in Accra, Ghana) is a former Ghanaian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Essien made the step into senior football with SC Bastia in 2000. He played for 8 clubs in 7 countries between 2000 and 2020. The busiest spell of his career was at Chelsea F.C. (2005–2014): 168 appearances and 17 goals. Across all recorded club spells he totals 405 appearances and 43 goals.

At international level, Essien represented Ghana (2002–2014), earning 59 caps and scoring 9 goals. Our match database lists 6 of his international goals; the first came against Cape Verde on 5 September 2004 (World Cup Qualification). He also played for Ghana at under-17 and under-20 level.

Accra has produced 478 footballers in our database, including Marcel Desailly, Asamoah Gyan and Kwadwo Asamoah.

Key facts

Senior international debut: 2002 (aged about 20)
First international goal: 2004 – aged 21 (match)
Club career: 2000–2020 (21 seasons)
Countries played in: 7: France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Greece, Indonesia and Azerbaijan
Club goals per game: 0.11 (43 in 405)
Height: 177 cm — taller than 38% of Ghanaian internationals on record
Latest move: Səbail FK (2019)
Shares a birthday with: Samuel Adegbenro, Souaibou Marou and Idrissa Sylla (more)

Club career

Years	Club	League	Apps	Goals
2000–2003	SC Bastia	Ligue 2	66	11
2003–2005	Olympique Lyonnais	Ligue 1	71	7
2005–2014	Chelsea F.C.	Premier League	168	17
2012–2013	Real Madrid Club de Fútbol	La Liga	21	2
2014–2015	AC Milan	Serie A	20	0
2015–2016	Panathinaikos F.C.	Super League Greece	16	1
2017–2018	Persib Bandung	Super League	29	5
2019–2020	Səbail FK	Azerbaijan First Division	14	0
	Total		405	43

Appearances and goals are league figures where recorded on Wikidata; “–” means not recorded.

International career

Years	Team	Level	Caps	Goals
1998–1999	Ghana U17	Under-17	5	0
2001–2002	Ghana U20	Under-20	7	1
2002–2014	Ghana	Senior	59	9

International goals (6)

#	Date	Match	Min	Competition
1	5 Sep 2004	Ghana 2–0 Cape Verde	24 (pen)	World Cup Qualification
2	18 Jun 2005	South Africa 0–2 Ghana	91	World Cup Qualification
3	4 Sep 2005	Ghana 2–0 Uganda	10	World Cup Qualification
4	28 Jan 2008	Ghana 2–0 Morocco	26	Africa Cup of Nations
5	3 Feb 2008	Ghana 2–1 Nigeria	45	Africa Cup of Nations
6	6 Sep 2009	Ghana 2–0 Sudan	53	World Cup Qualification

*Goals listed are those present in our match-by-match goal database, which is most complete for tournament matches.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Michael Essien?

Michael Essien was born on 3 December 1982, which makes him 43 years old.

Where was Michael Essien born?

Michael Essien was born in Accra, Ghana.

Which national team does Michael Essien play for?

Michael Essien played international football for Ghana. He has 59 caps and 9 goals on record.

Which clubs has Michael Essien played for?

Michael Essien's recorded clubs are SC Bastia, Olympique Lyonnais, Chelsea F.C., Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, AC Milan, Panathinaikos F.C., Persib Bandung and Səbail FK.

How tall is Michael Essien?

Michael Essien is 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) tall.

What position does Michael Essien play?

Michael Essien played as a midfielder.