Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, has revealed she had a crush on Michael Essien during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
She made the revelation in the introduction she wrote for a picture book, Africa – The Future of Football, authored by a photographer, Pall Stefansson.
According to her, because Nigeria was absent at the tournament, the Black Stars team got her attention and she became ‘a Ghanaian’ adding that she had a crush on the former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder after Ghana defeated the United States 2:1
Adichie narrated how she watched the Ghana, USA clash with her best friend, Uju, and how they excitedly referred to the Ghanaian players as ‘our boys’.
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“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.”
