“I had a fantastic career at Chelsea. I was here for almost nine years,...” — Michael Essien Quote

“I had a fantastic career at Chelsea. I was here for almost nine years, and it was great. I have nothing negative to say at all. It was all positive.”

“Why haven't I retired? I love this game too much.”

“Everything is good at Cobham. I really enjoy it here. I always have a bit of treatment in the morning, and then I go training. It's good.”

“I have never said I wanted to leave Chelsea.”

“When I first came to England I hated football and knew nothing about it. Watching 0-0s and 1-0s having come from Aussie Rules was just dull. The only player I had heard of was David Beckham. But when I was living in Leicester I started watching Match of the Day and really got into Chelsea.”

“I knew that Chelsea was a club that changed its manager reasonably often.”