Former Black Stars skipper, Stephen Appiah has picked Michael Essien as the best midfielder he has ever played with.

Essien and Appiah featured for the senior national team, the Black Stars for over a decade.

The pair played together during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and they were key players during the tournament as Ghana reached the last 16 in Germany.

Appiah was speaking on a live Instagram chat put together by Betway on Saturday, May 9.

The former Juventus and Fenerbache midfielder recounted the various midfield partners he worked within his time in the national team in response to questions he was asked by fans who had joined the live chat.

“I played with Michael Essien a lot and sometimes with Derek Boateng. In that very popular match against South Africa in Kumasi in which we won 3-0, William Tiero (who played for Liberty Professionals at the time) was in that match and I must say that he played very well that day. I even think he was the best player on that day.

"I enjoyed playing with a lot of midfielders in the national team but the Bison (in reference to Essien) was the Bison.

"He was the general,” he added.

Essien currently plays in Azaberjan.