Former Chelsea player Michael Essien signs for Indonesian club

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has signed for Indonesian Liga 1 club Persib Bandung, the club announced on their Twitter feed.

In a tweet sent out on Tuesday (14 March 2017), the club said “Welcome Michael Essien” and attached a photo of their jersey with Essien’s name on the back.

The former Ghana international will wear the number 5, the same number he made his own while with Chelsea.

According to a statement from Persib, Essien has signed a contract that will run for more than a year.

During his time at the Stamford Bridge from 2005 to 2014, Essien won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup four times, and the Champions League once. He was also voted the club’s player of the year in 2007.

Now 34, Essien has been left without a club since leaving Greek side Panathinaikos last year. It will be the first time he will be playing in this part of the world, after previously rejecting the advances of Thailand’s Muangthong United and Australia’s Melbourne Victory.

The signing will be viewed as a coup for Persib, which is already one of the most followed in the country with more than 2.8 million followers on Twitter.