The English Championship outfit passed on a golden opportunity to sign Michael Essien over a certain transfer policy.
Burnley could have been the first English club to sign legendary Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien if they had agreed to relax their transfer rules over two decades ago.
Essien, who enjoyed an illustrious career in England with Chelsea, where he won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League, trailed with the Clarets in 1999.
The then Ghana U17 star had impressed at the FIFA U17 World Cup with the West African nation and was invited for a trial in England.
Michael Essien with his Chelsea teammates having a pre-match walk in Hamburg in 2010. Photo: Darren Walsh. Source: UGC
However, he failed to secure a deal because Burnley would not pay an apprentice £60-per-week
Former Burnley chairman Brendan Flood narrated the story. He told the People, as quoted by talkSPORT:
“I discovered Michael Essien had been on trial here for a few days.
“One of the best players in the World Cup – and we hadn’t signed him.
“The club policy meant we wouldn’t pay an apprentice more than 60 quid a week.
“It smacked me in the face that the problem was a lack of communication within the club that stopped our youth guys making an exception to the rule.”
Essien’s career in Europe
After failing to sign the Ghanaian youngster, Essien moved to France where he joined Bastia and subsequently Olympique Lyonnais.
It was at Lyon that the Ghanaian gained huge attention following his starring role alongside Mohamed Diarra, helping the club to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.
Essien was named Player of the Year in his final season in France before moving to England to join Chelsea.
Essien was pivotal in Jose Mourinho’s success at Chelsea, going to enjoy a trophy-laden career.
He later played for Real Madrid, AC Milan, Panathinaikos and Sabail in Europe.
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