Chelsea footballer arrested on suspicion of drink-driving

Michael Essien, 24, was detained shortly after 5am on Monday as he drove through East London following the Professional Footballers Association's annual awards dinner at the five-star Grosvenor House Hotel in the West End.

The £70,00-a-week midfielder, a driving force behind Chelsea's quest to win an unprecedented four trophies in one season, was taken to a police station for further questioning after being asked to take a roadside breathalyser test.

Earlier a host of top Premiership stars, many accompanied by their customary WAGS, partied to the early hours following the awards ceremony.

They included Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, West Ham United's former England striker Teddy Sherringham, and Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant.

The circumstances of Essien's arrest in East London remain unclear.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "At approximately 5.10am on April 23, officers from Southwark stopped a vehicle in the Old Kent Road.

"They subsequently arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of drink driving. The man has been bailed pending further inquiries."

Essien, who is thought to have provided a blood sample for analysis, is due to answer bail in July.

Police were unable to confirm what sort of car he was driving.

His arrest further enhances the 'Men Behaving Badly' image of Britain's top footballers.

But Essien's Monaco-based agent Fabien Piveteau tried to play down the arrest. He said: "I do not understand this. There is no problem. I have seen the paper, the policeman did a test and it was negative."

Essien joined Chelsea in a £24million deal from Lyon in France two years ago. Since then he has established himself as a key player at the mega-rich club, earning himself a new five-year contract last month.

Earlier on Sunday he played for title-chasing Chelsea in a crucial away fixture at Newcastle United, which ended scoreless.

His girlfriend is glamour model Cassie Sumner, 24, a star of ITV's popular 'Wags Boutique' programme.

She has boasted how Essien, who lives in Cobham, Surrey and who is said to be worth more than £10million, bought her a Range Rover. She also said they jetted off to Monaco for two weeks before the World Cup, which she "absolutely loved".

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo scooped both the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards - the first time in 30 years that a player has scored such a double.