"his power-packed performances. In the quarter-final against Nigeria, when team captain John Mensah was dismissed on the stroke of the hour for a professional foul on Nigeria's Peter Odemwingie, Essien assumed the captaincy for the remainder of the match as Ghana eventually won 2–1. He was voted as an All-Star Player during the tournament. The Team of the Tournament was decided by the Technical Study Group (TSG) after careful observations of all the tournament's matches. During an international match played against Libya on 5 September 2008, Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament playing for Ghana in the World Cup qualification"
"stint in France, he acquired French citizenship. In 2005, Essien signed with Premier League side Chelsea for a £24.4 million transfer fee 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 League Cup. He won the UEFA Champions League in 2012, while also placing as runner up in the 2008 UEFA Champions League. He has won the Chelsea Goal of the Season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons. Essien is"
"first-ever FIFA World Cup finals appearance. He also played in their World cup debut even though he did not score in any of the matches he played, his ability, runs and passes helped the team to the group of 16. In 2010, he helped his nation qualify for another world cup. He played in two matches, which he was brought in as a substitute. He is a member of the Ghanaian Golden Era of footballers including Fulham right back John Paintsil and Chelsea versatile midfielder Michael Essien and former captain Stephen Appiah who formerly played for Italian Club Cesena, Fenerbahçe"
"Omani Al-Nasr based in Salalah before he moved to Vietnam. Hassan Koeman Sesay Hassan Koeman Sesay (born 5 September 1981 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean international footballer who plays for Hà Nội ACB, one of the biggest clubs in the Vietnamese top football league. Sesay also plays for the Sierra Leone national football team, for whom he has appeared in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. He started his football career with local club Real Republicans in the Sierra Leone National First Division, the highest football league in Sierra Leone. He spent some seasons at the"
"One of the players who inspired Song the most when he was young was Michael Essien. In 2011, Song became an ambassador for Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit organisation working through football to stop the spread of HIV. Song joined the Bastia youth team in 2003–04 and became a part of the first team the following season with 31 appearances. Bastia were playing in Ligue 1 during the time Song had a stint there. Song was noted for his high versatility While playing for Bastia, he was selected as a part of France under-16 national team. He later chose to"
"the first leg of Europa League qualification match against CS U Craiova on 27 July. On 20 August 2017, in Milan's opening Serie A match of the season, he scored a penalty in a 3–0 victory over Crotone. In a match on January 21, 2018, Kessie scored two goals, one being from the penalty spot, to give A.C Milan the win. Kessié represented Ivory Coast at under-17 and under-20 levels, appearing in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2015 Toulon Tournament. During the former tournament, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation submitted a complaint to FIFA claiming that Kessié was"
"to 1987 where his father was the first provost of NTTC Gombe, an institution of higher learning. Then in Calabar he completed his primary education at Auntie Margaret International school in 1989, after which he attended Federal Government College Enugu in 1992 then later finishing at Federal Government College Ikot Ekpene in 1996. He gained admission to study linguistics at the University of Calabar in 1999, graduating in 2003. Essien wrote songs as a young boy, and tried out in talent competitions like the Golden Tones with Benson and Hedges and the first Project Fame in 2004 representing Nigeria in"
"signed a two-year-contract with Greek club Panathinaikos. The deal made him the club's highest-paid player, with an annual salary of €800,000. He spent the first three months of the season recovering from a leg injury. He was due to make his debut on 21 November 2015 against Panathinaikos' archrivals Olympiacos, but the match was cancelled. He played his first match one week later. On 24 January 2016, he scored his first goal for Panathinaikos in a 2–0 away league win over Levadiakos. After a season in Greece, Essien was omitted from Panathinaikos' squad for the 2016–17 season, with the expectation"
"Hassan Koeman Sesay Hassan Koeman Sesay (born 5 September 1981 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean international footballer who plays for Hà Nội ACB, one of the biggest clubs in the Vietnamese top football league. Sesay also plays for the Sierra Leone national football team, for whom he has appeared in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. He started his football career with local club Real Republicans in the Sierra Leone National First Division, the highest football league in Sierra Leone. He spent some seasons at the club then move to Goderich United then FC Kallon then"
"Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first"" In 2016, Essiane defeated Bunmi Ojewole from Nigeria and Rushda Mallick and Ansie Van Der Marwe, both from South Africa. Essiane represented Cameroon at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and she was their flag bearer at the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony. She lost to Tammara Thibeault from Canada in the women's middleweight competition quarterfinals. Clotilde Essiane Clotilde Essiane aka Junior (born 6 August 1985) is a Cameroonian boxer, mixed martial artist and a retired footballer, who currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Essiane scored 17 goals for Cameroonian club TKC in 2004. In"
"Moses Sakyi Moses Sakyi (born 12 March 1981) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a centre forward. Born in Accra, Sakyi made his senior debut with Liberty Professionals FC, where he shared teams with future Chelsea player Michael Essien. He went on to compete professionally in a host of countries, representing Yimpaş Yozgatspor, İstanbulspor AŞ (Turkey), PFC Slavia Sofia (Bulgaria), S.C. Olhanense and C.F. Estrela da Amadora (Portugal). From January 2008 to 2012, other than in Portugal's Segunda Liga, Sakyi played professionally in the Cypriot First Division, the Chinese Super League, the Kazakhstan Premier League and the Indonesia"
"in England for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. Still in that year, he helped the under-21 team finish second at the 2011 UEFA European Championship, scoring in the 2–0 group stage win against Iceland. He represented the country at the 2012 Summer Olympics, netting in the 1–2 group phase defeat by South Korea. Innocent Emeghara Innocent Nkasiobi Emeghara (born 27 May 1989) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a striker for Azerbaijani club Qarabağ FK. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Emeghara moved to Switzerland at the age of 13 (two years after his mother), and started playing football as"
"U-18, U-19 and U-20 national team. He was part of the German U-17 team that finished in third place in the 2007 U-17 World Cup in South Korea. In this tournament, Esswein scored two goals against Trinidad and Tobago in the group-stage and scored the winning goal in the third place playoff against Ghana two minutes into stoppage time. Alexander Esswein Alexander Esswein (; born 25 March 1990) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga. Esswein made his debut in the 2007–08 season. He appeared in a league match during the season."
"army, died due to illness. Therefore, one of his goal celebrations is a military salute performed in order to pay tribute to his late father. That is a peculiar celebration that is unique to him. Franck Kessié Franck Yannick Kessié (born 19 December 1996) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Milan and the Ivory Coast national team. Born in Ouragahio, Kessié began his career in Stella Club d'Adjamé, joining their youth setup in 2010. In 2014, he was promoted to the first team. On 29 January 2015, Kessié signed a three-year contract"
"members of the England team supported the Shoe Aid for Africa campaign in 2009, which was aimed at helping underprivileged children in Africa. Leicester City Liverpool Aston Villa Emile Heskey Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League over an 18-year career, and represented England in international football. He also had a spell in Australia, playing for the A-League club Newcastle Jets. Born in Leicester, Heskey started his career with Leicester City after progressing through their"
"world football governing body, claiming he had got a three-year contract but it was ended prematurely so they owed him money. In turn, FIFA asked the ""Flaming Orange"" to pay him but they denied it, threatening to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Eze Isiocha Eze Isiocha (Chinese: 伊薩 born 9 July 1987 in Nigeria) is a Nigerian former footballer. He played for Happy Valley AA under Hong Kong First Division League league from 2008 to 2009. The number 9 emblazoned on the back of his jersey at Happy Valley AA, Isiocha was ready by the"
"Franck Kessié Franck Yannick Kessié (born 19 December 1996) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Milan and the Ivory Coast national team. Born in Ouragahio, Kessié began his career in Stella Club d'Adjamé, joining their youth setup in 2010. In 2014, he was promoted to the first team. On 29 January 2015, Kessié signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Atalanta. He was assigned to the club's Primavera squad upon his arrival, and contributed with seven appearances for the side. His first match in Europe occurred on 1 March, as he"
"defensive line. Essien ended his maiden season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League. Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award on 12 October 2006, where he placed 22nd. One week later, he was nominated for the 2006 Ballon d'Or. He was voted as the third Best African Footballer of the Year in 2006, a feat he also achieved in 2005. He won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award. The following season, Essien scored several important goals, including his first Champions League goal for Chelsea in a 2–0"
"a season-long loan deal with Real Madrid, reuniting him with his former manager at Chelsea, José Mourinho. At his introductory press conference with Real Madrid, Mourinho affectionally referred to Essien as ""his son"" while Essien referred to Mourinho as his ""Daddy"". On 3 November, Essien scored his first goal for Real Madrid. During the last match of the season – and Essien's last game as a Madrid player – Essien scored his second goal for Madrid, which he dedicated to Mourinho. Essien signed for Italian club Milan on a one-and-a-half-year contract on 27 January 2014. On 2 June 2015, Essien"
"aged 22 and not 16; FIFA later denied that claim. At the age of 17, Kessié played his first international game with the senior national team on 6 September 2014, starting in a 2–1 home win against Sierra Leone for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. On 4 January 2017, he was included in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, starting in all matches as his side was knocked out in the group stage. When Kessié was 11 years old, his father, a professional footballer in his youth who later joined the Ivorian"
"Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Sweden,"
"called Liberty Professionals. Essien broke through when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. European scouts began to take notice, and Essien had a trial at Manchester United in April 2000. He played in the club's under-17 team's defeat to Derby County. Manchester United offered him a contract, but he was ineligible to obtain work permit in the United Kingdom. He therefore considered joining Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp until he was eligible to move to England. However, his mother meanwhile preferred a move to France instead. In July 2000, Essien was signed by Division"
"injury. In 2015, he signed for Leicester, winning the Premier League in his first season at the club. A full international for a decade starting from his debut in 2006, Fuchs earned 78 caps for Austria, making him their eighth-most capped player of all time. He played for the nation at UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2016, captaining them for the first time in 2010 and on a permanent basis from 2012, before retiring from international duty in 2016. Born in Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, and his father was an amateur goalkeeper. He began as a forward at local team"
"Ebusua Dwarfs. John Eshun John Eshun (born 17 July 1942) is a former Ghana international football defender. Born in Sekondi, Eshun began playing club football for local sides Sekondi Eleven Wise F.C. and Sekondi Hasaacas F.C.. Eshun represented Ghana at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He also made several appearances for the senior Ghana national football team, including two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, and he played at the 1968 and 1970 African Cup of Nations finals. After Eshun retired from playing football, he became a coach. He has managed Tema"
"in a 5–0 victory at Stamford Bridge. He scored his first brace for Chelsea against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a header and a low shot from outside the box, and came close to completing his first hat-trick for the club with a flurry of second half shots, one of which was tipped onto the bar by Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Essien was injured on international duty during the 2010 African Nations Cup and missed the remainder of the English domestic season. On 4 June 2010, he signed a two-year extension to his existing contract which would have kept him at the"
"first time: China, Ecuador, Senegal and Slovenia. As of 2018, this was the last time the Republic of Ireland, Turkey and China qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals, as well as the last time Australia and Switzerland failed to qualify. Turkey qualified for the first time since 1954, Poland and Portugal both qualified for the first time since 1986 and Costa Rica and Uruguay qualified for the first time since 1990. Sweden, Russia and the Republic of Ireland also returned after missing the 1998 World Cup. 1998 semi-finalists the Netherlands, three times 1990s participants Romania and Colombia and Norway,"
"Republic of Macedonia where he signed with FK Shkëndija. In 2015 he moved back to Germany to KFC Uerdingen 05. After two years he moved to Union Hallein. During the summer transfer period 2018 he moved to Austria to FC Kufstein. He was part of the Cameroonian 2004 African Nations Cup team, who finished top of their group in the first round of competition, before failing to secure qualification for the semi-finals. He also played for Cameroon at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. Mohammadou Idrissou Mohammadou Idrissou (born 8 March 1980 in Yaoundé) is"
"Year Award for the third consecutive year and on 21 October 2007, he was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the third consecutive year. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On 12 December 2007, he was nominated for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the third consecutive time he had been nominated. He was runner-up to that year's winner, Frédéric Kanouté. On 22 July 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013. He also extended"
"308 matches in Germany. He was later given the title ""Asia's Player of the Century"" by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Other Korean, Iranian, Chinese and Japanese football players have also gained starting places in their respective clubs in Europe. Some football clubs hire the Asian football stars hoping to increase merchandise sales from the player's respective Asian country. However, in Britain in 2007, there were complaints of a lack of Asian participants in top league football. Ethnicity and football Ethnicity and football is a description of the global acceptance of association football, with players from many"
"to Spain, in which he allowed goals from Cesc Fàbregas and Jurado. Quentin Westberg Quentin Westberg (born April 25, 1986) is a French-American soccer player who plays for Auxerre as a goalkeeper. He is a graduate of the Clairefontaine academy and previously served as the number one goalkeeper for Troyes. Though born in France, Westberg opted to represent the United States on the international level and is a former youth international having represented the team at under-17 and under-20 level, whom he played with at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Westberg was born in Suresnes, a commune in the"
"and subsequently start attacking plays with long balls after winning back possession. Although naturally right-footed, he is capable of striking or passing the ball well with either foot. His precocious performances as youngster and energetic playing style in midfield have drawn comparisons with compatriot Michael Essien. Afriyie Acquah Afriyie Acquah ( ; born 5 January 1992) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Empoli and the Ghana national team. He speaks Italian, having learnt from his private tutor since he moved to Italy in 2010 and has a brother. Acquah said he had chosen"
"play for the Seychelles as his father, Michael Snr, originates from there and is a former Seychelles international midfielder. He rejected the chance to play for the Seychelles national team in 2006 in favour of his native England. However, in November 2008, he stated that he would play for Seychelles if he doesn't get to play for England by the time he reaches 25. On 15 November 2008, Fabio Capello surprisingly named him in the England squad to play an international friendly match against Germany in Berlin. He did not appear in the game though. He was an England regular"
"Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Correct as of 15 May 2010 Issam Jemâa Issam Jemâa (; born 28 January 1984 in Gabès) is a Tunisian footballer who plays as a striker . He started his footballing career for Espérance Sportive de Tunis, and was later signed by French side Lens. Also a Tunisian international since 2005, he is the all time leading scorer of the tunisian national team. He was called up to the 2006 World Cup, but was later forced out from the squad due to injury. He was also called up to the Tunisian national team squad"