'He was the guy who really helped me and made me have a lot of confidence': Mikel on his friendship with Essien

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel revealed how important Michael Essien was for him when he moved to Chelsea as he helped him settle in and gave him confidence.

"When I first came to Chelsea, I was surprised I was sharing a dressing room with all these players I had watched on television back in Africa. | was sitting next to Lassana Diarra. I'd be there thinking, 'Oh my God, it's Didier Drogba. It's Frank Lampard. It's John Terry'," he told Goal.

"Michael Essien really helped me settle in. Michael always told me I was a good player and just reminded me to 'bring the ball down, control and pass.

"If you need to dribble, dribble. If you don't need to, just pass. You are strong. You are fast, too. If you can, just push the ball past and run, run, run because they cannot catch you. He was the guy who really helped me and made me have a lot of confidence."

Source: Goal.com