Kenya legend Okwemba chooses Michael Essien over Mikel Obi

Kenya legend Charles Okwemba chooses Ghana's Michael Essien over Nigeria's Mikel Obi as he believes that the former performed better during his time at Chelsea than the latter.

Essien joined the London based side in 2005 and went on to make 168 appearances and scored 17 goals in the process.

He spent nine years at the Stamford Bridge before joining AC Milan in 2014, winning nine trophies with the Blues.

"Every coach would love to have a combative midfielder like Essien in his team," Okwemba told Goal on Friday.

"He was a very powerful and energetic box to box midfielder who played passionately and hated losing. One thing with him was his work rate; it was why he was loved at the club and went o b/n to be an asset for the team."

"Essien was a great tackler and adapted fast with the situation on the pitch, but his consistency and attitude always worked for him."

He added, "Mikel yes was talented but is nowhere close to Essien; the latter, literally, fought to help his team. No wonder [Jose] Mourinho signed him for Real Madrid.

"If given chance, I will choose Essien for my team over Mikel, no two ways about it."

The 37-year-old featured in 58 matches for the Black Stars of Ghana, scoring nine goals in the process.

He represented Ghana at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments as well as two FIFA World Cup tournaments (2006 and 2014).

"Injuries affected his stint with Ghana, he was the driving force in the team but without him, sometimes they struggled," he continued.

"His impact could have been better for the Black Stars for sure."