Michael Essien his contract on 12 March 2007. It was feared Essien would miss the 2008–09 Premier League season after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage on 5 September while playing for Ghana. However, on 7 March 2009, he came on as a substitute in the second half of the FA Cup match against Coventry City. In his second match back from the knee injury, Essien scored just before half-time to give Chelsea a vital away goal against Juventus in the Champions League first knockout round. Chelsea went on the draw the match 2–2 and through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate. He
Emmanuel "Mannie" Essien to 1987 where his father was the first provost of NTTC Gombe, an institution of higher learning. Then in Calabar he completed his primary education at Auntie Margaret International school in 1989, after which he attended Federal Government College Enugu in 1992 then later finishing at Federal Government College Ikot Ekpene in 1996. He gained admission to study linguistics at the University of Calabar in 1999, graduating in 2003. Essien wrote songs as a young boy, and tried out in talent competitions like the Golden Tones with Benson and Hedges and the first Project Fame in 2004 representing Nigeria in