CAPS: 51
GOALS: 9

Once again nominated for the BBC's African Footballer of the Year award, this Ghanaian Black Star continues to shine for both club and country.

Michael returned from a serious knee injury sustained on international duty in September 2008 to lead Ghana to a second successive World Cup Finals, and with qualification for South Africa 2010 comes another shot at Cup of Nations success.

Michael, now 27, made his international debut in the 2002 Mali tournament, his Ghanaian side drawing 0-0 with Morocco.

In that tournament Ghana bowed out at the quarter-final stage, and after failing to qualify in 2004 and not making it out of the groups in 2006, went one round further in 2008, eventually losing to Cameroon in the semi-finals.

Since establishing himself as a powerful midfield, Essien, nicknamed 'The Bison' has been the centre point of the Ghana side, forming a superb partnership with Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari in the centre of the pitch.

He scored his first Ghana goal at home to the Cape Verde Islands in a 2-0 win in September 2004, a year before transferring from French champions Lyon to Chelsea, the top side in England.

He had been to this country before, an impressive Under 17 World Cup showing earning him a prestigious trial with Manchester United, but it was to Bastia, a French side based in Corsica that he signed for from his local club in Ghana, Liberty Professionals.

Such coverage of the youngster made his rise to superstar status easy to predict, and he will be hoping to replicate his success on the club stage in the forthcoming international tournaments.

Having appeared at the 2006 World Cup, Essien noted the importance of such experiences in his country's development, bowing out in the knockout stages after beating both USA and Czech Republic in the groups, and has high hopes for 2010.

Michael is still searching for a first national team honour with Ghana, but on a personal front has been recognized for his performances. He was the BBC's African Footballer of the Year in 2006, and part of the All-Star team for the 2008 Nations Cup.

Off the field, Essien has followed in the footsteps of Chelsea team-mate Didier Drogba, setting up his own foundation to help those less fortunate in his homeland.

During the 2010 Cup of Nations, Michael will be penning an exclusive daily blog for chelseafc.com, so be sure to click back regularly to find out what is going on in the Ghana camp.

Click here to see Michael Essien's full Chelsea profile.

Ghana have a rich history in African football, with four previous Cup of Nations victories, but have only recently begun to exert themselves on the world stage.

The Black Stars originally played as the 'Gold Coast' until gaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, the year of the first continental African tournament.

Having failed to qualify in 1962, Ghana dominated the next two tournaments in both 1963 and 1965, before losing as finalists in 1968 and 1970 as the Cup became officially biennial.

They won again in 1978 and 1982, losing out on penalties to Ivory Coast in 1992 before a third-placed finish on home soil in 2008.

During the 1990s Ghana had two of Africa's first world-recognised players, Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah, but still the pair could not help their country reach the World Cup.

Finally, with the emergence of a new class of stars, qualification was secured for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, to the delight of 20 million Ghanaians. Essien was the star man, but there was quality throughout the side, and it remains in the current squad.

Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari, now playing at Inter with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho are just two star names, while Dominic Adiyiah and Asamoah Gyan are exciting talents.