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In 2012, Mourinho contacted Essien for a loan move to Real Madrid on deadline day. Recalling the incident, Essien shared a hilarious anecdote in which he made the Chelsea bus stop in order to complete his switch to Los Blancos.
Michael Essien, Jose Mourinho. (X)
Former Chelsea icon Michael Essien once found himself in a high-drama situation, all thanks to a phone call from Jose Mourinho. Essien, throughout his 20-year career as a footballer, represented some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Despite competing at the top level for a while, the Ghana midfielder wasn’t prepared for the call from the Special One.
In 2012, Mourinho contacted Essien for a loan move to Real Madrid on deadline day. Recalling the incident in 2020, Essien shared the hilarious anecdote with GhanaWeb.
“A strange number called me but I didn’t want to answer it. The number kept calling so I picked up and, as soon as I said hello and another hello came from the other end, I realised who was on the phone. I told my cousin it’s Jose Mourinho,” he said.
Essien was one of the key players during Chelsea’s golden era in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Nicknamed ‘The Bison’, Essien showcased his power and athleticism to become a part of one of the most dominant midfield line-ups in Premier League history. Competing alongside Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Claude Makelele, Essien won several titles with The Blues. When his importance to Chelsea started to fade after a series of injuries, Essien was considering a move out of England. It is a major factor why the Ghana midfielder almost jumped off the team bus to get his Real Madrid deal finalised on deadline day.
In the same interview, Essien explained that his agent had asked him to get off the team bus and reach the hotel to complete the transfer.
“I had to shout at the bus driver to stop like some madman,” he said.
“All my teammates were looking at me like,’ Michael what’s going on?’
‘The bus stopped. I went back to the hotel to wait for my agent. My agent came and sent the fax. Thankfully, everything got finalised on time.”
Essien also revealed how he had no time to gather his things before his flight to Madrid.“I went to Madrid with just my boots, shin pads, one jeans, one shirt and my Chelsea tracksuit. I got to the airport [and] Jose was there waiting for me. He greeted me. I went to the hospital to undergo my medical. The next day, I started training,” he concluded.
Essien competed at Real Madrid for just one season and made 35 appearances for the Los Blancos. His sole season at the Spanish capital seemed to be a mini career renaissance as he had managed just ten league starts in the previous season with Chelsea.
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