Award-winning Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie has disclosed that she developed a crush on former Ghana international Michael Essien during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
At the world cup which was staged in South Africa, Nigeria missed out after failing to secure qualification.
Due to that, Chimamanda Adichie just like many other compatriots opted to give their support to the Black Stars of Ghana.
A decade later after that world cup where Ghana reached the quarter-final stage, the renowned Novelist has revealed that watching the Black Stars in that world cup saw her developing a crush for midfielder Michael Essien.
“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”, Chimamanda Adichie said in a video posted on her Facebook page as an intro to her new book titled ‘Football Nationalism’.
She added, “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 realization that sports allowed us, black Africans, to address historical and political grievances in the most cathartic way”.
Michael Essien, a former Chelsea player was impressive for Ghana at that tournament which was hosted on African soil for the first time in the history of the tournament.