Michael Essien was widely tipped to be one of Africa's next rising stars. Essien made his competitive senior debut in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations against Morocco on 21 January 2002. but had played for Ghana in a pre-tournament friendly against Egypt on 4 January 2002. On 16 May 2006, Essien was selected to be part of the team that represented Ghana at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played in midfield with team captain Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari. Essien played in Ghana's 0–2 defeat to Italy, their 2–0 victory over the Czech Republic, and the 2–1 victory
Emmanuel "Mannie" Essien South Africa. Broadcaster Olisa Adibua, at Cool FM later spoke to the manager about giving him a job as a producer. Essien went on to produce radio sweepers and station IDs for Cool FM, Wazobia FM, and Nigeria Info Fm. His manager, engineer Amin Moussalli, advised him to go into radio presenting. Essien is the host of the TV cooking competition, "Knorr Taste Quest", and is a co-host on "'Discovery 234" on DStv. On radio he hosts the "Good Morning Nigeria Show", and is a voiceover and audio jingle producer for brands including MTN, Coca-Cola, Chicken Republic, and FCMB. Essien