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
2014 African Cross Country Championships 2014 African Cross Country Championships The 2014 African Cross Country Championships was the third edition of the international cross country running competition for African athletes organised by the Confederation of African Athletics. It was held on 16 March at the Kololo Golf Course in Kampala, Uganda – the first time an East African nation had hosted the event since its re-launch in 2011. For a third successive time, Kenya dominated the event, led by men's winner Leonard Barsoton and women's winner Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon. The country won all of the senior race medals and had perfect scores in the team