Position: Midfielder
Born: 13.12.82
Club: Chelsea

Michael Essien is one of Ghana's leading lights and will have to live up to his reputation if the Black Stars are to shine in Germany this summer.

The dominant midfielder was one of Jose Mourinho's big-money signings for Chelsea last summer - but only after a drawn-out transfer saga with former club Lyon.

Despite his publicly-expressed wish to leave the French champions their president Jean-Michel Aulas was determined to keep the midfielder and it was not until the Blues offered £24.4million that they finally got their man.

Although the unrest left Essien without match practice, it did not take him long to adapt to the pace of the Premiership and he soon became a dominant figure in the Stamford Bridge engine room.

Essien first came to prominence during the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand and after an unsuccessful trial at Manchester United he was signed by Bastia, where he impressed a number of top European clubs.

In 2003 he was sold to Lyon for £7.5million and quickly he earned the nickname 'The Bison' due to his dominating presence in defensive midfield.

He was always a key member of the Lyon side and won the Ligue 1 title in both his seasons there, catching Chelsea's attention in the process.

Since Essien made his Ghana debut in the 2002 African Nations Cup he has become an integral part of the team and helped guide them to their first-ever World Cup finals.

In a side short of quality but blessed with team spirit, Essien is sure to be the driving force behind any progress Ghana make this summer due to his formidable strength, colossal tackling, skill on the ball and his powerful yet accurate shooting.