I once had a crush on Michael Essien - Chimamanda Adichie

Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie has said that she once had a crush for former Chelsea and Ghanaian international footballer, Michael Essien.

She disclosed this in the introduction of the book 'Africa? The Future of Football', which is authored by a photographer Pall Stefansson.

Chimamanda Adichie revealed that the Ghanaian national tram caught her eye at a football tournament which Nigeria was absent from.

She said, "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.”