Top 5 African imports in Premier League history

#3. Michael Essien

Michael Essien went onto win two Premier League titles with Chelsea

Former Chelsea man Michael Essien might be one of the most underrated players in Premier League history. The robust midfielder deserves to be considered as one of the greats at Stamford Bridge due to his service for the club.

Essien was not the flashiest player in the Chelsea side, yet their most useful one. He was signed in what was then a club-record fee of £24.4m from French outfit Lyon in the summer of 2005 following Jose Mourinho’s impeccable title win.

The Ghanian played a pivotal role in defensive midfield alongside Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard and helped Chelsea retain their Premier League crown, before lifting the trophy once again in 2010.

The former Real Madrid man was a versatile player who could slot in at right-back, centre-back or his preferred position in the middle of midfield, often found playing long passes, bombing forward and protecting the back four.

He was not one to score a lot of goals, but when he did, they would be talked about for a long period of time. Essien’s pile-driving equaliser against Arsenal was voted the Blues’ Goal of the Season in 2007 as he also bagged the club’s Player of the Season award at the end of that campaign.

Although Essien was a top-three candidate for the African Player of the Year award for five seasons in a row from 2005 to 2009, he never actually held the prize. Even then, his legacy will fondly be remembered by Premier League fans.