Michael Essien not thinking about retirement

Former Chelsea star Michael Essien has stressed that he has no plans of retiring from beautiful game following his recent release from Persib Bandung. The 35-year-old was once regarded as one of the world’s finest midfielders with Chelsea, where he won two Premier League crowns, four FA Cups and the prestigious Champions League.

Since leaving Stamford Bridge, Essien has experienced a short stint in Greece with Panathinaikos before testing himself in Indonesia with Persib Bandung and he is now prepared to prolong his career with a number of Malaysian clubs after his signature. He told Goal.com: “It's not the end. I have some discussion to do with some clubs. I still want to enjoy a little bit the years ahead of me before I call it done. If a club come from Malaysia, then we'll sit down and talk, then see what happens.”

Essien certainly showed a drop in his performance levels during the backend of his Chelsea career and much of this was associated to him sustaining a number of long-term injuries. Despite this, he has managed to extend his career until the age of 35 and he now appears keen on plying his trade in yet another Asian country after making a mark in Indonesia.

It is yet to be seen whether Essien joins a Malaysian club in the coming weeks but one thing is for sure that he will remain one of Africa’s great footballers regardless of his achievements in his remaining years in the game. The veteran has previously talked about the prospect of returning home with Liberty Professionals and this could emerge as his final option before calling time on his career. Essien graduated through his hometown club before the turn of the century but he failed to make a competitive appearance for them prior to his Bastia move in 2000.