LIKE ABEDI PELE AND ANTHONY YEBOAH BEFORE HIM, GHANAIAN MIDFIELDER MICHAEL ESSIEN IS A PLAYER OF WORLD CLASS, ACCORDING TO REUTERS. ONLY ESSIEN, HOWEVER, HAS BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO DISPLAY HIS TALENTS AT A WORLD CUP AND ONCE GIVEN THE CHANCE HE GRABBED IT WITH BOTH HANDS IN HIS SIDE'S 2-0 WIN OVER CZECH REPUBLIC ON SATURDAY. ALREADY A NATIONAL HERO AFTER INSPIRING GHANA TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION, HIS STOCK ROSE EVEN HIGHER WHEN HE BECAME AFRICA'S MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYER WHEN CHELSEA PAID ALMOST 26 MILLION POUNDS ($48.22 MILLION) TO LURE HIM FROM OLYMPIQUE LYON A YEAR AGO. HE STARTED WELL ENOUGH FOR THE LONDON SIDE BUT FADED AS THE SEASON PROGRESSED AND THOUGH THEY RETAINED THEIR PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE, ESSIEN WAS BY THE END OPERATING VERY MUCH IN THE SHADOW OF ENGLAND'S FRANK LAMPARD. TOTAL CONTROL ON SATURDAY, HOWEVER, HE STAMPED HIS AUTHORITY ON THE GROUP E GAME AGAINST CZECH REPUBLIC, GROWING IN STATURE AS THE MATCH PROGRESSED AND ENDING IT IN TOTAL CONTROL. LIKE ALL HIS TEAM MATES, HE WAS A CONSTANT TACKLING MENACE, NEVER ALLOWING PAVEL NEDVED AND HIS ILLUSTRIOUS COMRADES TO SETTLE ON THE BALL. WHEN IN POSSESSION HE WAS QUICK TO MOVE THE BALL FORWARD AND, EVENTUALLY CAUGHT UP IN THE EUPHORIA OF GHANA'S SECOND-HALF ONSLAUGHT, HE ENDED UP PLAYING AS IF HIS TEAM WERE DESPERATE FOR AN EQUALISER RATHER THAN 1-0 UP AGAINST 10 MEN. ONLY IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES, ONCE SULLEY MUNTARI HAD SCORED GHANA'S SECOND, DID HE ATTEMPT TO TAKE THE PACE OUT OF THE GAME WITH HIS ASSURED TOUCH AND NEAT PASSES. "AFTER WE SCORED AN EARLY FIRST GOAL I ALWAYS THOUGHT WE MIGHT GET A SECOND AND WE DID," ESSIEN SAID AFTER BEING GIVEN HIS MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD. THAT HONOUR COULD EASILY HAVE GONE TO CZECH GOALKEEPER PETR CECH, WHO INSTEAD HAD TO SETTLE FOR ESSIEN'S SHIRT. "I WANTED TO SWAP WITH PETR BECAUSE HE IS MY CHELSEA COLLEAGUE," HE SAID.
