Former Ghana international Samuel OseiKuffour has praised compatriot Michael Essien and believes the midfielder is the best player the country has ever produced. The former Bayern Munich ace played alongside Essien for the Black Stars between 2002 and 2006 and according to him, the 35-year-old had the best understanding of the game among his teammates.

Speaking to Metro TV, he said:“At the 2006 World Cup we (Ghana) believed that we could do something great and we had very good players like Appiah and Essien. And for me, Essien is the best Ghana player I ever played with in the Black Stars. He understands the game and makes it easier for his teammates whenever he is on the field.”

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.”

Persib Bandung president Glenn Sugita has expressed his gratitude towards Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien following his release from the Indonesian outfit. The 35-year-old had the option of a year’s extension on his contract with Bandung but the club had no other choice than to release him owing to the foreign player quota.
Based on the new league regulations, only four foreign players are allowed to participate with one of them being compulsorily an Asian and this witnessed the departure of the former Chelsea star.

Speaking after Essien’s release, Sugita said:"We both appreciate the regulation that has been created by PT New Indonesia League, Essien is also very understanding. It's not only Essien's understanding of ending this partnership, more than that, we, especially me, are very thankful for his services so far. His dedication, loyalty, joy, and professionalism that Essien showed so far we appreciate. been with him, and the players at Go-Jek League 1 can take a lot of lessons from Essien's whereabouts. Hopefully this farewell with Essien still brings wisdom to PERSIB and Bobotoh in the future.”

Jose Mourinho has paid a tribute to former Chelsea manager Michael Essien in an interview with Malaysian sports channel Astro Supersport. The Portuguese tactician has said that Essien was more than a player to him and he considers himself as ‘his white daddy’ owing to their close relationship at Stamford Bridge.

He said: “He was not my player, he is my son – I am his white daddy. He was probably the only one who took me to his home, to the real home. To the place he was born, to the street where he played football as a kid. He made me fall in love with Ghana, with Accra where he lived, because then I had a better understanding of his mentality.”

Ghana international Thomas Partey has been rewarded with a fresh contract at Atletico Madrid. The central midfielder was previously tied to the Spanish giants until the summer of 2021, but he has now been rewarded with a two-year extension.

Speaking on the club’s official website, Partey was delighted to have penned the contract, he said: “I'm thrilled to renew my contract with the club of my life. I hope to continue here for many more years and help the club. I always try to work hard. It's not easy to make the first team and for me, it gives me the pride to continue to work for this club. I see myself well [and] happy because I'm playing a lot more minutes. The team is strong, scoring many goals in the last few games and we are going to keep fighting to remain high up in the standings.”

An injured Michael Essien trained separately from the rest of the team at Persib Bandung's training session on Tuesday, as per reports. The 35-year old Ghanaian soccer star has been having recurrent fitness issues. He is now a shadow of his former self and not the very fit player he used to be. Despite all these, there are strong links with a move to the Major League Soccer (MLS).

Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien has been released by Persib Bandung ahead of the new Liga 1 season after he was conspicuously missing from the team’s launching ceremony on Saturday. The 35-year-old was said to have extended his contract with the Bandung Tigers for another season, but the club have now decided to release him as part of the league’s transfer policy.

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has been linked with a surprise move to Persipura Jayapura after failing to report to pre-season training with Persib Bandung. The Ghanaian's present deal only expires at the end of the year, but the club have the option of extending the contract by an additional year.

Speaking to BolaSport.com, Persib manager Mario Gomez admitted that the club have not heard from the Champions League winner, though he has been spotted training at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, he said: "I did not hear from him, he did not come to practice. But I know he went to London."

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien claims that there is a higher probability that superstar Eden Hazard could end up joining Real Madrid in the upcoming summer. Hazard appeared to be close to agreeing a contract with Chelsea, as his existing deal only has a couple of years left. The 26-year-old was rumoured to be made the next big star at Chelsea with a rumoured wage packet of around £ 300,000 per week. However, the threat of Real Madrid has been surrounding Hazard ever since he was a talented midfielder at Lille. Those rumours continue to grow with Real Madrid being managed by Zinedine Zidane – the idol of Hazard.

Zidane and Hazard have showered mutual respect on a number of occasions. This coupled with the glamour of playing for a club like Real Madrid could eventually force this transfer, according to a player who has played for both clubs in the past. Essien is known for his time at Chelsea, but he spent a small time on loan at Real Madrid while recovering from a long-term injury problem. As a result, he is one of the few players in the world who knows what it takes to play for both Chelsea and Real Madrid. After having been one of the top players since making the switch from Lille in 2012, Hazard may want a new challenge in his career.

Former Ghana international Derek Boateng has revealed that he could potentially finish his professional career in his homeland alongside Michael Essien. Boateng, who has previously won 47 caps for the Black Stars, is presently a free-agent following his exit from OFI Crete earlier in the summer.

In an interview covered by Ghanasoccernet, Boateng revealed that the pair could potentially reunite at the Liberty Professionals, where they began their respective youth careers, he said, "Oh yeah, why not? I don’t have a problem playing in the Ghana Premier League, in fact it is something me and Essien have talked about before. That we should come back home and play for Liberty Professionals before we retire because we really didn’t have a feel of the Ghana league before leaving the shores of Ghana to play in Europe."