´óÏó´«Ã½

Michael Essien is one of the best performers in world football and his contribution to both club and country in 2009 will go down as one of his best.

Even though he started the year on the injury list, he returned to inspire his stumbling Chelsea side to win some silverware and to aid Ghana's qualification for the 2010 World Cup.

His importance to Chelsea was underlined as the Blues struggled in his absence even though they had key players like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Nicholas Anelka.

Chelsea were unable to keep pace with the Premier League's leaders Liverpool and Manchester United without Essien, which resulted in the sacking of Brazilian manager Luis Felipe Scolari in February.

Essien's return to fitness in April amply demonstrated his importance as Chelsea turned the corner in dramatic fashion to reignite their bids for silverware at the end of last season.

They eventually won the FA Cup, finishing an impressive third in the league and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League under controversial circumstances as the season came to an end in May.

This season he has already helped Chelsea to beat Manchester United to win the season-opening Charity Shield title and has so far scored six goals for the Blues.

Essien returned to Ghana in September to score for the Black Stars as they beat Sudan 2-0 to become the first African country to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

His value to a team can hardly be overstated. Essien's versatility has come in handy for Ghana and Chelsea.

His ability to play in both central and wide midfield roles as well as an emergency centre-back and right back makes him unique.