“When I was little, my dream was to come and play in the Premier League...” — Michael Essien Quote

“When I was little, my dream was to come and play in the Premier League. So when Chelsea came in, I said yes straight away.”

“I want to give back to my community, little things I think they need. I went there to open a borehole and a public lavatory and give them a book about myself that we wrote with 'Right to Play.'”

“It's a big surprise for me because if somebody asked me when I was playing if Frank Lampard would be a manager, I would say no because he's very quiet.”

“Always I say that I want to stay at Chelsea as long as possible, and I am happy to stay here.”

“City has helped me and Chelsea has helped me to be in the national squad.”

“I still wish Chelsea and all the players every success. I spent so many years connected to the club. One incident is not going to change that.”