Daily News Channel
They are football’s royalty, the marquee players whose almost super human ability on the ball wins cups and championships; their faces adorn billboards and magazine covers from China to Columbia. But, amazingly, the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry may all be absent from the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien scored one of the goals as Ghana defeated Sudan 2-0 in Accra on Sunday to become the first African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari gave the ‘Black Stars’ an early lead and Essien added a second soon after half-time, unleashing a drive that flew into the net at the near post