I had a crush on Michael Essien: Renowned Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie

Michael Essien was an iconic figure in African football, displaying good performances week in week out in the English Premier League.

Essien also made his mark at the senior national team of Ghana, representing the West African powerhouse in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Synonymous to many sportsmen they have a lot of fans and Nigerian Novelist Chimamanda Adichie has revealed that he watched Essien and the Black Stars team with keen interest during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and started developing a mild crush for the former Chelsea midfielder.

She said, “I watched the game with my best friend, Uju, often shouting and then hugging each other when Ghana finally beat the United States.

“You know some of our boys started playing this game without shoes’, Uju said. ‘Our boys’ were, of course, the Ghanaians.

“A small consequence of that game was my developing a mild crush on the Ghanaian player, Michael Essien, as much for his looks as for his dexterity.

“But the larger and more important consequence was my realization that sports allowed us, black Africans, to address historical and political grievances in the most cathartic way.”