I once had a crush on Michael Essien – Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie

Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie has revealed that she once had a crush on Former Blackstars player, Michael Essien.

She made this revelation known in the introduction of a picture book she wrote titled Africa? The Future of Football, which is authored by a photographer Pall Stefansson.

In the book, she recalled how Nigerian her country was absent from a popular tournament. Hence, she was forced to support Ghana National Team.

In her introduction titled “Football Nationalism”, Adichie said she became “Ghanaian” after the Ghanaian football team caught her attention.

She wrote;

“I watched the game with my best friend, Uju, often shouting and then hugging each other when Ghana finally beat the United States.

“You know some of our boys started playing this game without shoes’, Uju said. ‘Our boys’ were, of course, the Ghanaians.

“A small consequence of that game was my developing a mild crush on the Ghanaian player, Michael Essien, as much for his looks as for his dexterity.

“But the larger and more important consequence was my realisation that sports allowed us, black Africans, to address historical and political grievances in the most cathartic way.”