He was used as a playmaker particularly in support of a striker, or a genuine centre forward because of his ball holding and passing skills.

In his playing days, Essa was one of the most well known faces in Pakistani football, due to his regular goal scoring at international level.

[5] In June 2005, Essa was offered a playing contract from major Indian football team East Bengal FC after his stellar performance in the international friendly series against India,[6][7][8] but the deal collapsed after the club decided to retain the striker Bhaichung Bhutia for the next season following the wages demands of Essa.

[9][10] Essa was also later offered to play for JCT in India, and clubs from Oman and Maldives but the move seemingly failed to materialise.

[14] He also played in the 2010 season that the Geo Super Football League for Karachi Energy beating Quetta Zorawar 1–0 in final.

Essa scored his first senior international goal in a free-kick against India, in the first match of the 2005 Pakistan-India friendly series at the Ayub National Stadium in Quetta to tie the game 1–1 with minutes to go before the final whistle.

[22][23] After advancing from the group stages, Essa's strike against Nepal led Pakistan to the final against Sri Lanka, which ended in a victory for the Green Shirts thanks to a goal by Adeel Ahmed in the half time.

[14] He was appointed as assistant coach of the Pakistan national team in 2018,[32] lasting during the tenure of former PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat, who was ousted by FIFA in June 2019.

Essa is the co-founder of Pak Afghan Clearing Agency, founded as a hybrid of a department and football club.