Michael Essien his power-packed performances. In the quarter-final against Nigeria, when team captain John Mensah was dismissed on the stroke of the hour for a professional foul on Nigeria's Peter Odemwingie, Essien assumed the captaincy for the remainder of the match as Ghana eventually won 2–1. He was voted as an All-Star Player during the tournament. The Team of the Tournament was decided by the Technical Study Group (TSG) after careful observations of all the tournament's matches. During an international match played against Libya on 5 September 2008, Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament playing for Ghana in the World Cup qualification
Loick Essien next appearance was in 2008 when he appeared on rapper Chipmunk's debut single "Beast". The single, released on 8 October 2008, debuted at number 181 in the UK Singles Chart and later appeared on the album "I Am Chipmunk". Essien also featured on artist Bashy's lead single from his upcoming second album, "When the Sky Falls". The single, which was released independently on 12 March 2010, debuted at number 114 in the United Kingdom. On 12 October 2010, Essien released his debut solo single "Love Drunk" in the United Kingdom through Sony Music, where it debuted at number 56 in