Kweku Essien Kweku Essien Essien began his professional career 2003 at Asante Kotoko but left the club in 2005 and moved to F.C. Maamobi. The central midfielder had a very good season at F.C. Maamobi in the 2005–06 Ghana Premier League season but was loaned out to Accra Hearts of Oak SC for $60,000 until June 2007. He was outstanding for King Faisal in their Premier League campaign, picking up 10 Most Valuable Player awards in the season. In 2007, he failed another trial, this time with Austrian side Sturm Graz. So far the MVP of Ghana football league for 2006–07 has
Michael Essien signed a two-year-contract with Greek club Panathinaikos. The deal made him the club's highest-paid player, with an annual salary of €800,000. He spent the first three months of the season recovering from a leg injury. He was due to make his debut on 21 November 2015 against Panathinaikos' archrivals Olympiacos, but the match was cancelled. He played his first match one week later. On 24 January 2016, he scored his first goal for Panathinaikos in a 2–0 away league win over Levadiakos. After a season in Greece, Essien was omitted from Panathinaikos' squad for the 2016–17 season, with the expectation