Mohamed Sissoko
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Lamine Sissoko Gillan (born 22 January 1985) is a French
-born Mali
an footballer who is currently playing for the French Ligue 1
team Paris-Saint Germain and the Malian national team
. Although he could have elected to play for France
internationally, he chose to play for the country of his descent, Mali. Sissoko is a tough tackling defensive midfielder .
, although he never managed to appear with the club's first team prior to his 2003 sale to Spanish La Liga
club, Valencia CF
, coached by Rafael Benítez
. Up until this move, Sissoko had always played as a striker
for AJ Auxerre, but began adapting to his new role under his new manager.
, who eyed the Malian player as a talented youngster with obvious potential to turn into a top-notch defensive midfielder. The 2003–2004 season was a very successful year for Valencia and moderately so for the Malian player. Los Che were crowned La Liga and UEFA Cup champions, while Sissoko totaled nine matches and one goal in a friendly fixture for his new club. The following year, Benítez left to manage Liverpool
and was replaced by Claudio Ranieri
, which gave Sissoko the chance to firmly establish himself in the starting line-up, as the Italian manager quickly became quite fond of the newly-formed defensive midfielder. In his second season at the Estadio Mestalla, Sissoko played 21 matches in the Spanish League, and made himself known to the world by his performances in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League
. In the summer of 2005, Sissoko was signed by Premier League club Liverpool. In two seasons with Valencia, Sissoko totaled 63 appearances.
Fans of Valencia were devastated when the player they affectionately refer to as "Black Gold" decided to move on. He had been expected to sign for Liverpool's rivals Everton
but ultimately plumped for the opportunity to work again with former Valencia boss, Rafael Benítez
. Liverpool manager Benítez showered praise upon him when he said Sissoko possessed "incredible ability for his age" and similar qualities to Frenchman Patrick Vieira
. His early career, like Vieira's, was marked with disciplinary problems as he tends to pick up yellow cards for late or reckless tackles.
There were fears for Sissoko's eyesight in his right eye after his retina
was severely damaged after he was accidentally kicked in the head by S.L. Benfica's Petit in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League
knockout round tie in February 2006. Sissoko, however, made a recovery and returned in the 6th round of the FA Cup
against Birmingham City
wearing a pair of goggles, where Liverpool won the game 7–0. He was awarded the MMOTY
award in May 2006. He went on to play the full match as Liverpool won the 2006 FA Cup Final on penalties over West Ham.
The 2006–2007 season got off to a flying start for Sissoko with victory for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield
and Sissoko taking the man of the match
award. Sissoko's season had been put on hold due to an arm injury he suffered at Birmingham City in the League Cup
in early November. On 29 January 2007, it was announced that Sissoko would be fully fit for Liverpool's local derby match against Everton on 3 February 2007. However, he made his comeback from injury by playing against Newcastle United
in a game which Liverpool lost 2–1. Sissoko's first real test after coming back from injury was in the UEFA Champions League
against FC Barcelona
, the current title-holders at the time. Sissoko was awarded the man of the match award by UEFA
. However, for the remainder of the season, he would compete for the holding position in the centre of Liverpool's midfield with newly arrived Argentine, Javier Mascherano. He would be largely unsuccessful, and Mascherano started in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
ahead of Sissoko. This led to people questioning whether he would leave Liverpool, with notable clubs such as Juventus F.C. and FC Barcelona reportedly interested. However, on June 28, Sissoko signed a contract to extend his Liverpool career a further four years, keeping him at Liverpool until 2011. It was later revealed that Sissoko had indeed received an offer from Juventus, but he turned them down to remain at Liverpool.
On 25 August 2007, in a match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
, Sissoko started in place of the injured Steven Gerrard
in Liverpool's central midfield. In the match, Sissoko finally scored his first ever competitive goal in his club career, a long-range first-time effort from 25 yards out, assisted by Andriy Voronin
. It was Sissoko's first domestic league goal in his career, in his 75th appearance for the club. The goal also marked Liverpool's 7000th goal in league football.
in January 2008, where he would team up with former coach Claudio Ranieri
, who at the time was at the helm of Juventus. On 29 January 2008, Liverpool confirmed the sale of Sissoko to Juventus for a fee of €11 million. He made his first appearance for the club on 3 February 2008, coming in as a 67th minute substitution for Tiago
in a Serie A
fixture versus Cagliari Calcio
. Sissoko scored his first goal for Juventus on 2 March 2008, the equalizer against bitter rivals Fiorentina
. During the first half of the 2008–09 season, he regularly featured in the starting line-up, forming a partnership with youngster Claudio Marchisio
as the centre midfield pair in Claudio Ranieri
's 4–4–2 formation. However, Sissoko's 2008–09 season ended early after he broke his foot in March 2009 ruling him out for the rest of that season and into the start of the 2009-10 season.
Sissoko's injury woes continued throughout the rest of the 2009-10 season and into 2010-11 season as Sissoko found himself constantly battling various injuries throughout the two seasons, including thigh strains, a leg strain, Achilles tendon inflammation, and finally season-ending knee surgery in March 2011.
side, Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of €
7 million + €
1 million should Paris Saint-Germain qualify for the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League
before September 2013. Sissoko scored his first goal for PSG and in Ligue 1 on 6 November, when he headed in a cross from Nenê, against Bordeaux at the Stade Chaban Delmas. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and prevented PSG from winning their seventh straight league game.
, France, Sissoko was eligible to play for the French national football team. However, Momo opted to play international football for his ancestral country, Mali
. Sissoko obtained his first international call-up in 2004, and has appeared for his country in all African Cup of Nations
qualifiers and tournaments since then. He has also featured in FIFA World Cup
qualifiers for both 2006 and 2010. Sissoko has formed a very solid midfield for his country along with Real Madrid
hardman Mahamadou Diarra
, and Barcelona
ace, Seydou Keita
. Sissoko has made 26 official appearances for Mali, and has scored 2 goals.
Salif Keïta
, who, like Sissoko, played for Mali
and Valencia CF
. Salif Keita is also the uncle of FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita
. Both Sissoko and Seydou Keita play similar roles as hard-tackling central defensive midfielders. Sissoko is sometimes referred to as "the Black Ninja" for his tenacious tackling and work rate. He has no relation to football player Moussa Sissoko
, but is the elder brother of Abdou Sissoko
.
|2002–03||Auxerre
||Ligue 1
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Valencia
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||21||0||4||0||rowspan="3" colspan="2"| ||9||1||34||1
|-
|2004–05
||24||0||0||0||5||0||29||0
|-
45||0||4||0||14||1||63||1
|-
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Liverpool
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||26||0||6||0||0||0||11||0||43||0
|-
|2006–07||16||0||0||0||2||0||9||0||27||0
|-
|2007–08||9||1||0||0||2||0||3||0||14||1
|-
51||1||6||0||4||0||23||0||84||1
|-
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="4"|Juventus
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||15||1||0||0||colspan="2" rowspan="5"| ||0||0||15||1
|-
|2008–09||21||2||3||0||8||0||32||2
|-
|2009–10
||17||0||1||0||6||0||24||0
|-
|2010–11
||18||0||1||0||10||0||29||0
|-
71||3||5||0||24||0||100||3
|-
167||4||15||0||4||0||61||1||247||5
Liverpool
Juventus
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an footballer who is currently playing for the French Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
team Paris-Saint Germain and the Malian national team
Mali national football team
The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles , is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.-History:...
. Although he could have elected to play for France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
internationally, he chose to play for the country of his descent, Mali. Sissoko is a tough tackling defensive midfielder .
AJ Auxerre
Sissoko appeared in the youth system of French club AJ AuxerreAJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
, although he never managed to appear with the club's first team prior to his 2003 sale to Spanish La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
club, Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, coached by Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
. Up until this move, Sissoko had always played as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for AJ Auxerre, but began adapting to his new role under his new manager.
Valencia
Following his transfer to La Liga, Sissoko remained with Valencia between 2003 and 2005. At the time, the manager of Valencia was Rafael BenítezRafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
, who eyed the Malian player as a talented youngster with obvious potential to turn into a top-notch defensive midfielder. The 2003–2004 season was a very successful year for Valencia and moderately so for the Malian player. Los Che were crowned La Liga and UEFA Cup champions, while Sissoko totaled nine matches and one goal in a friendly fixture for his new club. The following year, Benítez left to manage Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and was replaced by Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
, which gave Sissoko the chance to firmly establish himself in the starting line-up, as the Italian manager quickly became quite fond of the newly-formed defensive midfielder. In his second season at the Estadio Mestalla, Sissoko played 21 matches in the Spanish League, and made himself known to the world by his performances in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. In the summer of 2005, Sissoko was signed by Premier League club Liverpool. In two seasons with Valencia, Sissoko totaled 63 appearances.
Liverpool
Sissoko moved from Valencia to Liverpool in the summer of 2005 for a fee reported to be £5.3 million.Fans of Valencia were devastated when the player they affectionately refer to as "Black Gold" decided to move on. He had been expected to sign for Liverpool's rivals Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
but ultimately plumped for the opportunity to work again with former Valencia boss, Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
. Liverpool manager Benítez showered praise upon him when he said Sissoko possessed "incredible ability for his age" and similar qualities to Frenchman Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
. His early career, like Vieira's, was marked with disciplinary problems as he tends to pick up yellow cards for late or reckless tackles.
There were fears for Sissoko's eyesight in his right eye after his retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
was severely damaged after he was accidentally kicked in the head by S.L. Benfica's Petit in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
knockout round tie in February 2006. Sissoko, however, made a recovery and returned in the 6th round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
wearing a pair of goggles, where Liverpool won the game 7–0. He was awarded the MMOTY
MMOTY
The MMOTY is a Malian football award designed to recognise the best Malian midfielder in competitive football.-See also:*List of Malian footballers*Fédération Malienne de Football*Mali national football team...
award in May 2006. He went on to play the full match as Liverpool won the 2006 FA Cup Final on penalties over West Ham.
The 2006–2007 season got off to a flying start for Sissoko with victory for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
and Sissoko taking the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award. Sissoko's season had been put on hold due to an arm injury he suffered at Birmingham City in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in early November. On 29 January 2007, it was announced that Sissoko would be fully fit for Liverpool's local derby match against Everton on 3 February 2007. However, he made his comeback from injury by playing against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in a game which Liverpool lost 2–1. Sissoko's first real test after coming back from injury was in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, the current title-holders at the time. Sissoko was awarded the man of the match award by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. However, for the remainder of the season, he would compete for the holding position in the centre of Liverpool's midfield with newly arrived Argentine, Javier Mascherano. He would be largely unsuccessful, and Mascherano started in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
2007 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between A.C. Milan of Italy and Liverpool F.C. of England on 23 May 2007 at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2006–07 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA...
ahead of Sissoko. This led to people questioning whether he would leave Liverpool, with notable clubs such as Juventus F.C. and FC Barcelona reportedly interested. However, on June 28, Sissoko signed a contract to extend his Liverpool career a further four years, keeping him at Liverpool until 2011. It was later revealed that Sissoko had indeed received an offer from Juventus, but he turned them down to remain at Liverpool.
On 25 August 2007, in a match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
, Sissoko started in place of the injured Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
in Liverpool's central midfield. In the match, Sissoko finally scored his first ever competitive goal in his club career, a long-range first-time effort from 25 yards out, assisted by Andriy Voronin
Andriy Voronin
Andriy Viktorovych Voronin is a Ukrainian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Dynamo Moscow. His previous clubs include Chornomorets Odessa, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Mainz, Köln, Bayer Leverkusen, and Liverpool. In the 2002–03 season, Voronin became top goalscorer in the...
. It was Sissoko's first domestic league goal in his career, in his 75th appearance for the club. The goal also marked Liverpool's 7000th goal in league football.
Juventus
Sissoko remained at Liverpool for the first portion of the 2007–08 season, but transferred to Italian giants JuventusJuventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in January 2008, where he would team up with former coach Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
, who at the time was at the helm of Juventus. On 29 January 2008, Liverpool confirmed the sale of Sissoko to Juventus for a fee of €11 million. He made his first appearance for the club on 3 February 2008, coming in as a 67th minute substitution for Tiago
Tiago Mendes
Tiago Cardoso Mendes , simply Tiago, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.A versatile midfielder, adept as both a central or defensive unit and with good overall skills, he played professionally in four of Europe's major leagues: England, France, Italy and Spain.A...
in a Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
fixture versus Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
. Sissoko scored his first goal for Juventus on 2 March 2008, the equalizer against bitter rivals Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
. During the first half of the 2008–09 season, he regularly featured in the starting line-up, forming a partnership with youngster Claudio Marchisio
Claudio Marchisio
Claudio Marchisio is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. A product of the Juventus youth system, he has spent his whole career thus far at his hometown club, with the exception of a season-long loan spell at Empoli...
as the centre midfield pair in Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
's 4–4–2 formation. However, Sissoko's 2008–09 season ended early after he broke his foot in March 2009 ruling him out for the rest of that season and into the start of the 2009-10 season.
Sissoko's injury woes continued throughout the rest of the 2009-10 season and into 2010-11 season as Sissoko found himself constantly battling various injuries throughout the two seasons, including thigh strains, a leg strain, Achilles tendon inflammation, and finally season-ending knee surgery in March 2011.
Paris Saint Germain
On 28 July 2011, Sissoko moved to Ligue 1Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side, Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
7 million + €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1 million should Paris Saint-Germain qualify for the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
before September 2013. Sissoko scored his first goal for PSG and in Ligue 1 on 6 November, when he headed in a cross from Nenê, against Bordeaux at the Stade Chaban Delmas. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and prevented PSG from winning their seventh straight league game.
International career
Born in Mont-Saint-AignanMont-Saint-Aignan
-People:*Birthplace of Jacques Anquetil , the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times.*Viviane Asseyi footballer*Jackson Mendy footballer*Matthieu Louis-Jean footballer*Mohamed Sissoko, Juventus F.C footballer, was born here....
, France, Sissoko was eligible to play for the French national football team. However, Momo opted to play international football for his ancestral country, Mali
Mali national football team
The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles , is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.-History:...
. Sissoko obtained his first international call-up in 2004, and has appeared for his country in all African Cup of Nations
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
qualifiers and tournaments since then. He has also featured in FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifiers for both 2006 and 2010. Sissoko has formed a very solid midfield for his country along with Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
hardman Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra is a Malian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Mali national team. He is captain of the national team.-Early career:Diarra started his career with Greek side OFI Crete...
, and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
ace, Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita or Seydou Keïta may refer to:* Seydou Keïta , Malian photographer* Seydou Keita , Malian footballer...
. Sissoko has made 26 official appearances for Mali, and has scored 2 goals.
Personal life
Sissoko is the nephew of former African Footballer of the YearAfrican Footballer of the Year
The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African football player each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football since 1992. An earlier African Footballer of the Year Golden Ball award was given out between 1970 and 1994 by France Football magazine...
Salif Keïta
Salif Keita (footballer)
Salif Keïta Traoré , known as Keita, is a retired Malian footballer who played as a striker.-Club career:In his country, Keita played for AS Real Bamako and Stade Malien...
, who, like Sissoko, played for Mali
Mali national football team
The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles , is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.-History:...
and Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. Salif Keita is also the uncle of FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita (footballer)
Seydou Keita is a Malian footballer who plays for FC Barcelona in Spain and the Malian national team. He also holds a French passport.A versatile midfielder, he can operate as both a central or defensive midfielder.-Marseille:...
. Both Sissoko and Seydou Keita play similar roles as hard-tackling central defensive midfielders. Sissoko is sometimes referred to as "the Black Ninja" for his tenacious tackling and work rate. He has no relation to football player Moussa Sissoko
Moussa Sissoko
Moussa Sissoko is a French football player of Malian descent who currently plays for French club Toulouse in Ligue 1. He plays as a box-to-box midfielder capable of playing in either the holding role or as an attacker. Sissoko is described as a "well-rounded central midfielder" who is "tall,...
, but is the elder brother of Abdou Sissoko
Abdou Sissoko
Abdoulwahid Sissoko is a French-Malian footballer who currently plays as a defender for Udinese in the Italian Serie A.He is the younger brother of Paris St-Germain midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.- Career :...
.
Career statistics
|-|2002–03||Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
||Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
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|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
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|2004–05
2004–05 La Liga
2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna...
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45||0||4||0||14||1||63||1
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|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||26||0||6||0||0||0||11||0||43||0
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|2006–07||16||0||0||0||2||0||9||0||27||0
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|2007–08||9||1||0||0||2||0||3||0||14||1
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51||1||6||0||4||0||23||0||84||1
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|2007–08||rowspan="4"|Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
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|2008–09||21||2||3||0||8||0||32||2
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|2009–10
2009–10 Serie A
The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season...
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|2010–11
2010–11 Serie A
The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011...
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71||3||5||0||24||0||100||3
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- Also played two FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
-, and one Community Shield-game for Liverpool.
Honours
Valencia- 2003–04 Spanish Primera DivisiónLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
- 2003–04 UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
- 2004 European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
Liverpool
- 2005 European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
- 2005–06 FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- 2006 FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
Juventus
- 2008–2009 Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(Runner-up)