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
Born Country song won an ASCAP Award for being among the most performed country songs of 1992. The song was also recorded and released in April, 1991, with an accompanying video by Ian Eaton & Battle River, of Saskatchewan, Canada. The song is a mid-tempo in which the narrator expresses his pride for the country. Born Country "Born Country" is a song written by Byron Hill and John Schweers, and recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in December 1991 as the second and final single on their compilation album, "Greatest Hits Vol. II". It reached No. 1 on