Akosua Puni: The Story of How Michael Essien's Wife Saved Como
- Akosua Puni Essien, wife of former Ghana international Michael Essien, purchased bankrupt Italian club Como in March 2017
- She bought the club for €237,000 at a bankruptcy auction when Como faced serious financial difficulties in Serie C
- Como has since risen from the lower divisions to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history
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Akosua Puni Essien, wife of former Ghana international Michael Essien, made history in March 2017 when she acquired bankrupt Italian club Como 1907 for €237,000 at a bankruptcy auction, becoming the club's new owner at one of the lowest points in its existence.
At the time, Como were struggling in Serie C — Italy's third tier — and were burdened by severe financial problems that threatened the club's very survival.
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How Michael Essien's wife saved Como
Puni saw an opportunity where others saw a sinking ship.
She publicly framed the acquisition as a personal challenge, expressing ambition to stabilise the club's finances, invest in its youth academy and push for promotion to Serie B.
The club's official announcement welcomed her arrival with enthusiasm:
"Football Club Como is pleased to announce that the club has a new company taking charge of the affairs of the team. We are pleased to announce to the city of Como that Akosua Puni, Mrs Essien, is the new owner Fc Como Srl."
Her tenure did not last long. Later in 2017, Como were relegated further to Serie D as fresh financial difficulties mounted, and Puni's company entered administration, bringing her ownership to an end.
Yet the significance of her intervention should not be underestimated.
At the moment the club was closest to disappearing entirely, she stepped in and provided a lifeline that kept Como alive.
Without that intervention, there may have been no club for subsequent investors to revive.
Como's extraordinary rise to the Champions League
The transformation that followed is one of European football's most remarkable turnaround stories.
New ownership from the Hartono family brought substantial investment, and the appointment of former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas as head coach gave the project a credible footballing identity.
Como climbed steadily through the Italian football pyramid, winning promotion to Serie C in 2019, reaching Serie B in 2021 and returning to Serie A in 2024 after a 21-year absence from the top flight.
The 2025/26 season delivered the crowning achievement: a fourth-place finish in Serie A secured the club's first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Their opening European tie will be against RB Leipzig at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, and the club has begun the current Serie A campaign in fine form, going unbeaten across three matches with two wins and a draw.
Akosua Puni Essien's 2017 purchase was fleeting, but it remains the moment a proud Italian club was pulled back from the brink.
Every milestone Como now celebrates traces its roots, at least in part, to that decisive intervention by a Ghanaian woman who believed the club was worth saving.
Michael Essien’s journey to Chelsea
In another publication, YEN.com.gh reported that Michael Essien’s journey from a market stall in Accra to Stamford Bridge was shaped by his mother Aba Gyandoh’s sacrifices and unwavering faith.
A heartfelt conversation with his mother inspired the young Essien to pursue his football dream and ultimately changed the course of his life.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
