I became a coach because I didn't want to be depressed

Former Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien has finally disclosed his motivation of becoming a football coach citing that he joined because he didn’t want to be depressed.

Since 2020, Essien who possesses a coaching accreditation following UEFA License A—has served as an individual player-coach for the Danish team FC Nordsjaelland.

“When I was playing, if you asked me if I wanted to go into coaching, I would say no,” Essien revealed during an interview with Joy Sports.

He added, “I didn’t want to be one of these ex-players who finish their careers, go home, and start thinking about what they want to do, only to get into depression.”

The former Chelsea player clarified that working with players and continuing in the football industry was a logical next step for him. Essien started his playing career in 2000 with Bastia and later went on to play for prestigious teams like Chelsea and Lyon, where he was the 2012 UEFA Champions League winner.