FC Basel midfielder Emmanuel Essiam has named former Black Stars and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien as his role model.
Essiam who is currently honing his talents in Switzerland with Basel was an integral member of the Black Satellites team which emerged as champions of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 which occurred in Mauritania.
The tournament provided a stepping stone for the starlet who now aims to play regularly in European competitions just like Michael Essien.
Essiam says he mostly drew inspiration from watching Michael Essien to propel him to perform well in matches.
“Since childhood, my role model is Michael Essien. He followed me on Instagram some time ago because I followed him way long ago and I was really really happy, smiling always during that day.
"Yeah, I texted him and told him he’s my idol and thanked him for following me back and I really appreciate it. I used to watch him if I had a game to play and it motivated me. Then, I would take that into games,” he told Citi FM
The former Berekum Chelsea boy has now been identified as a key player for Ibrahim Tanko's Black Meteors who are aiming to get back into the Olympic Games having secured qualification into the U-23 AFCON tournament