Uncompromising midfielder Michael Essien will be hoping to use the World Cup finals to demonstrate exactly why Chelsea paid Lyon £24.4million for his services in 2005. The 23-year-old's consistent displays during his first season in English football were often overlooked because of the controversy surrounding some of his fearsome tackling, but he finished the campaign with a Premiership title winner's medal. The success was nothing new to Essien, who won the Ligue 1 title twice during his two-year spell with Lyon, having had spells with Bastia and Liberty Professionals earlier in his career. He has also won medals in international football, picking up a bronze at the 1999 FIFA World Under-17 Championship and silver at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship before making his senior debut in 2002.