Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien joins Indonesian side Persib Bandung
Tuesday 14 March 2017 10:09, UK
Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Michael Essien has joined Indonesian side Persib Bandung on a one-year deal.
The Ghanaian signed a deal on Monday with the option to extend his stay for a further 12 months at the end of the season.
He will don the number five shirt for the Liga 1 side, the same one he wore during his nine years at Stamford Bridge.
Essien's new club were the last team to win the Indonesian league title in the 2014 season after the last two campaigns were abandoned due to a FIFA suspension.
Speaking about his move to the South-East Asia country, Essien told the club's official website: "I hope I am the prelude to other world players moving to Indonesia.
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"Hopefully this is a good beginning for Indonesian football and also for Persib. Thank you for bringing me here. I'm excited and want to give my best."
Essien made 256 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, before a loan move to Real Madrid in the 2012/13 season followed by spells with AC Milan and most recently, Panathinaikos.
He also earned 58 caps for Ghana during his international career, scoring nine times and playing in two Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup tournaments.
