Michael Essien, a former Ghanaian international, has made it clear that despite having obtained his coaching badges, he has no aspirations to become a head coach.
The ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder retired from professional football in 2018 and has since devoted his time to nurturing young talent at Nordsjaelland. He has worked as an Individual Talent Coach there since 2020.
During a past interview, the 41-year-old cited the pressure of being a head coach as the reason he’s not pursuing the role right now.
While he indicated a desire for privacy, he didn’t completely close the door on future visibility.
Essien said to the BBC, “I’m not thinking about being a head coach. Not yet.
“But when I get there, I will develop my style of play around the FCN model of what we’re doing here. I have a few more years to go. Let’s see. Maybe I will get there.”
The ex-Black Stars midfielder revealed he never considered coaching during his playing days.
“When I was playing, I never thought I would jump into this journey,” he explained.
“But as my career was winding down, I thought to myself one day, ‘I’ve dedicated my life to football, and that’s what I do best.’”
“I should start doing something just to keep my routine going. I also wanted to get ideas and strategies on how to be a coach and learn how to be a coach.
“That’s how it all came about. And also because I love the game. I’m always going to be in and around the game.”