Former England defender, Micah Richards has showered praises on Michael Essien for a spectacular career in the English Premier League.
According to Richards, Essien had an illustrious career with Chelsea and that makes the Ghanaian midfielder one of the best African players to ever played in the English Premier League.
Richards, who played for Manchester City in his prime, was naming his best African players in the Premier League history on BBC where he included Michael Essien.
He believes despite the incredible career Michael Essien had with Chelsea, he wasn’t recognised enough due to the fact the he was in a Chelsea that were boasting of enormous talents who were scoring and assisting in every single game.
“He [Essien] was top notch, I think sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he is due because he was in a team with someone like Lampard, who scored many goals, and we all go off with goals and assist,” he said.
Michael Essien joined Chelsea for a then club record £24.4m in 2005, but he proved to be a pivotal part of a very successful spell for his team.
He played for Chelsea in eight seasons, helping them win the Premier League twice, the Champions League once, the FA Cup four times and the League Cup once.
He was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and featured 59 times for his country, helping them finish third at the Africa Cup of Nations on two occasions.
