Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has named ex-Manchester United player Paul Scholes as the best opponent he faced during his playing career.

Essien joined Chelsea in 2005 from French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon where he spent two years after his move from Bastia.

The Ghanaian enjoyed a long spell at Stamford Bridge and ended up becoming a fan favourite at the club before eventually departing the club.

Essien played with some of the world's best players during his time in Europe but says Scholes stands out as the best player he competed against.

"I have faced a lot of good players in my career. It's difficult to tell. I face the likes of Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and a lot...Steven Gerrard," he said in an interview with Goal.

"But I always say Paul Scholes is one of the players that was quite tough."

Despite playing alongside some of the world's talented players at Lyon, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan, Essien also settled on Frank Lampard as the best player he played with.

"Everybody is my teammate. I love all my teammates," he added.

"It's hard to choose but I would go for Frank Lampard. Being a midfielder that scores a lot of goals. To keep doing it every season is quite amazing.

"People know my connection with Jose Mourinho so yeah [he's the best manager I have had]."

Essien is currently part of the technical team at Danish side FC Nordsjaelland.