Former Chelsea star Michael Essien admits post-career depression is real
Former Ghana international Michael Essien has opened up about the reality of post-career depression, revealing that it was a key factor in his decision to pursue a coaching career.Essien, who retired from professional football in 2020, has been working as an Individual Player Coach at Nordsjaelland.In an interview with Joy Sports, he admitted that acquiring his coaching license was crucial to avoid falling into depression after retirement.”When I was playing, if you asked me if I wanted to go into coaching, I would say no,” he began.”But as time passed, I started thinking: Ive been in football all my life; why not take up coaching and acquire my license to still stay in football and be around the players?”I took this decision to go into coaching because I didnt want to be one of these ex-players who finish their careers, go home, and start thinking about what they want to do, only to get into depression.The 41-year-old emphasised that the transition from playing to coaching was a deliberate choice to maintain his mental well-being.Despite his involvement in football coaching, Essien has ruled out the possibility of becoming a head coach, describing the role as too stressful.”For now, I am not thinking about being a head coach; it is too stressful. I like to be behind the scenes, away from these media duties and cameras in my face. But you never know; maybe at some point,” he said.Essien praised Nordsjaellands setup, stating, “Ive been to many places, top clubs and everything, but the Nordsjaelland organisation is second to none.”He remains committed to helping develop young talent at the Danish club, providing guidance and support to the next generation of footballers.Throughout his career, Essien made 59 appearances for the Black Stars and scored nine goals, despite struggling with injuries.Essien made over 500 club appearances and scored 58 goals, many of them during his time at Chelsea, where he became a household name.He also impressed during stints at Lyon, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Panathinaikos, and Persib Bandung, before retiring at Sabail.His illustrious career includes winning the Champions League, three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and two Ligue 1 titles.
