90 Minutes exculsive interview with Essien

(Part 1)

GHANAIAN international and Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien is a known face and a household name in Ghana and indeed many parts of the world. The man who is now in contention to win the prestigious 2009 African Footballer Of The Year award alongside Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o, is gradually getting back to full fitness after suffering a knee injury in training during the recently-ended Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. His absence for Chelsea has been the talking point in most football discussions with Ghanaians also praying hard for the midfield hardman to make a quick recovery for this summer's World Cup. As usual your authoritative 90 MINUTES Newspaper caught up with the affable Essien to find out when he would be back on the pitch soon, his injury situation and other relevant matters pertaining to the Black Stars and Chelsea in a two-part interview. Read on.

90M: Thanks for accepting to be interviewed by 90 MINUTES. ESS: It's always a pleasure talking to you guys.

90M: So how are you faring with your knee injury and how soon should your fans expect you to be doing those box-to-box runs for both club and country again? ESS: The injury is healing and coming on nicely. I have to be patient so it can heal properly. I'm getting back to full fitness and you will see me as soon as I am given the okay by the medical team.

Q: So tell us; how important is it for you as an individual to put on the national team colours? And what do you make of the unpatriotic accusations levelled against you when you pick up an injury? In your opinion, what do you think could be triggering such comments? A: I have always maintained that playing for Ghana is important for all of us who pull on the Black Stars jersey. We always do our best for Ghana and we will continue to do so if called upon.

Q: What is your general overview of the just-ended Angola 2010 tournament? Were you psyched up for the tournament after the unfortunate shooting of the Togolese team? A: It was a difficult but good tournament for Ghana and the other teams I guess. The shooting incident didn't help and was very unfortunate and I wish the families of those who passed away and the people of Togo well. I think once the tournament started we had no option but to try and concentrate on the games but our thoughts were always with them. Ghana did well to get to the final.

Q: A lot of eyebrows were raised when you failed to cheer the team on when Andre Dede Ayew scored Ghana's winner against Burkina Faso in a must win game? What was going through your mind at that time? A: Ha ha (chuckles)- I didn't realise until I got to England that people were upset that I didn't cheer the team. I got a couple of text messages from friends who were not watching the game asking how it was going. I was texting back that it was 0 0 and the next thing I knew they guys were celebrating the goal. My next reaction was to tell my friends that we had scored and so I got back to texting. The main thing is we won the game.

Q: In the absence of Stephen Appiah and John Mensah, you are the next in command of the Black Stars. Can you recall the moment you were asked to captain Ghana? A: There wasn't a specific moment when I was told I will be playing the captain role. I was just given the armband during one match as neither Stephen nor John Mensah were available and then since then, in their absence, the armband is always given to me. One thing I can say is that it is an honour and I am always proud to captain the Black Stars.

Q: For you as a player, does the captaincy in any way change the way you play? A: Not really because whether I am captain or not I always try to give 100% and that's all that matters

Q: In June Ghana will be making a second successive FIFA World Cup appearance in South Africa. When you look back to the last four years in Germany 2006, what do you remember most? A: I remember taking to the pitch to face Italy in the first game and I remember and enjoyed the win against the Czech Republic. That was the highlight of the tournament for me. I also remember the yellow card that ruled me out of the Brazil game but most of all the togetherness and euphoria surrounding the World Cup is second to none.

Q: How do you envisage Ghana's chances in the World Cup in South Africa and which of our group opponents do you fear most? A: I think Ghana has a good chance of doing well and we do not fear anyone in the group but respect all the teams. Fear is not something we talk about because that will be the wrong attitude to take to the World Cup. The other teams are very strong and we have to respect them.

Q: Should we fail to qualify from the group stages, would you call it as a failure, against the backdrop the Black Stars performance in Germany 2006? A: Yes I will call that a failure because I believe we are good enough to beat any team on our day but we have to work hard and stick to whatever game plans we devise. With the support of everyone we can make the second round just like 2006. Q: Injuries to the senior players in the Black Stars including you have come as a source of worry to many Ghanaians. Shouldn't that be a major worry for the team as we prepare for the World Cup in June? A: Well you cannot predict injuries and injuries are part of what we do. We just have to hope that we all recover and go to the World Cup with a full squad.