Michael Essien to return to Stamford Bridge for Chelsea Legends game

Michael Essien will be back in a Chelsea shirt for the first time in a decade, and back playing at Stamford Bridge for the first time since Soccer Aid 2019, when he joins what’s expected to be a most star-studded Chelsea Legends match against Bayern Munich on September 9.

The news was confirmed by the official website yesterday, promising that it “will be one of the greatest combinations of Chelsea Legends in club history”. (Get your tickets here! All proceeds go to the Chelsea Foundation and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity in tribute to Gianluca Vialli.)

Essien was one of the greatest (box-to-box) midfielders I’ve ever seen roam the green grass in the SW6, for a few seasons at least before injuries started to pile up, limiting his impact. He still amassed over 250 appearances across 8.5 years, which included a season away on loan at Real Madrid (to reunite with his “daddy”, José Mourinho). He left halfway through the 2013-14 season before eventually retiring in 2020 and going into coaching at FC Nordsjælland.

He won lots of trophies, as all players of the Old Guard did, including the 2012 Champions League, and scored one of the greatest, and one of our most favoritest goals we’ve ever seen.

Essien will join John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, and also newly announced duo Carlo Cudicini and Claude Makélélé (both of whom already work at Chelsea, as a loan technical coach and a technical mentor, respectively).

It is indeed shaping up to be great occasion!