Michael Essien, a former midfielder for Chelsea and a former Ghanaian international, recently discussed how he left Chelsea and “jumped off” the team bus in order to sign with Real Madrid for the 2012–2013 season.
Before being loaned out to Spanish side Real Madrid for the 2012–2013 season, Essien had spent nine years at Chelsea, where he had established himself as one of the club’s most beloved players.
The 38-year-old discussed the circumstances surrounding his unexpected move to Real Madrid in a recent interview with Citi Sports, which ModernGhana News watched.
Essien claims that Jose Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid at the time and his former boss at Chelsea, called him.
Essien was instructed by Mourinho that he should sign with Real Madrid, but the Ghanaian midfielder had already gotten on the Chelsea squad bus and was traveling to an away game.
“I was with Chelsea in Monaco for the Super Cup and my cousin was with me. My phone rang a number of times and I failed to pick but my cousin asked me to pick but I told him I don’t know the number.
“Eventually, I picked and as soon as I heard the reply to my hello, I knew who it was. So I told my cousin that it is Jose Mourinho and we started talking,” Essien said, as quoted by GhanaSoccernet.
“The bus (Chelsea team bus) was leaving the hotel for the match so my agent called and asked me to come back to the hotel because he was going to fax the documents to me.
“I had to shout from the back of the bus for it to stop. All my teammates were looking at me like what was going on. So I got off the bus and my agent came around and everything happened. Thank God everything happened on time.”
