'I never lost against them' - Michael Essien on why Nigeria are his favorite opponent

Ghanaian football legend Michael Essien has named the Super Eagles of Nigeria as his favourite opponent, noting that he never tasted defeat against Ghana’s arch-rivals.

Essien told JoyNews that in his national team career, he always achieved success against Nigeria, with the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations victory ranking highest.

“My favorite game will be against Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. I never lost against Nigeria while on the pitch. I played in the friendly in London. I did not play in the match at the 2006 AFCON. If I'm on the pitch, we don't lose. We were losing (referring to the 2008 AFCON match) and I scored,” he said.

Essien made 59 appearances for the Black Stars, scoring nine times, and was part of Ghana's maiden team at the FIFA World Cup. The 41-year-old played a pivotal role as Ghana secured their first World Cup qualification in 2006.

The former Chelsea star also played at two Africa Cup of Nations, starring for Ghana at CAN 2008 before picking up an injury in his first match at AFCON 2010, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament.

Essien, who now works as an assistant coach at FC Nordsjaelland, remains one of the few players to have represented Ghana through all levels.

Meanwhile, the ex-Ghana star is unsure if Ghanaians appreciate what he has done for the country.

"I hope they are. I think I am one of the few players to have gone through every age category, represented the country at those levels, and succeeded, so I hope they are appreciative of my service to the country," Essien said.

EK