Djibril Cissé facts for kids
Cissé in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Djibril Cissé | ||
| Date of birth | 12 August 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Arles, France | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1996 | Arles-Avignon | ||
| 1996 | Nîmes | ||
| 1996–1998 | Auxerre | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2004 | Auxerre | 128 | (70) |
| 2004–2007 | Liverpool | 49 | (13) |
| 2006–2007 | → Marseille (loan) | 21 | (8) |
| 2007–2009 | Marseille | 37 | (16) |
| 2008–2009 | → Sunderland (loan) | 35 | (10) |
| 2009–2011 | Panathinaikos | 61 | (47) |
| 2011–2012 | Lazio | 18 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Queens Park Rangers | 26 | (9) |
| 2013 | → Al-Gharafa (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2013 | Kuban Krasnodar | 15 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | Bastia | 23 | (2) |
| 2015 | Saint-Pierroise | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Yverdon | 29 | (23) |
| 2018–2019 | AC Vicenza 1902 | ||
| 2021 | Panathinaikos Chicago | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 452 | (205) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2002 | France U21 | 4 | (6) |
| 2002–2011 | France | 41 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Djibril Cissé (born 12 August 1981) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a forward, known for scoring goals.
Cissé started playing football at a young age. He joined his first club, Arles-Avignon, in 1989. Later, he played for the youth teams at Nîmes and Auxerre. He spent two years in Auxerre's youth system. In 1998, he joined their main team.
After playing for Auxerre for six seasons, Cissé scored 90 goals in 166 games. In 2004, he moved to the Premier League club Liverpool. While at Anfield, Cissé played 79 games and scored 24 goals. He helped Liverpool win the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League and the 2005–06 FA Cup.
Cissé also played for teams in Greece (with Panathinaikos), Italy (with Lazio), Qatar (with Al-Gharafa), Russia (with Kuban Krasnodar), and Switzerland (with Yverdon Sport). He had more time in English football with Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in France with Marseille and Bastia. In 2015, Cissé played one game for Saint-Pierroise before stopping professional football. During his career, Cissé had two serious leg breaks, one in 2004 and another in 2006.
Cissé also played for the France national football team. He was part of the French team in the 2002 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He also helped les Bleus win the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting at Auxerre
Djibril Cissé joined Auxerre when he was 15 years old. In 1999, he won the Coupe Gambardella with the youth team. This is like a big youth cup in France. Coach Guy Roux then moved him to the first team. Cissé played his first Ligue 1 game at 17 in March 1999. He scored his first goal in the 2000–01 season. He finished that season with eight goals in 25 games.
In the 2001–02 season, Cissé was the top scorer in Ligue 1. He scored 22 goals in 29 matches. Auxerre finished third, which meant they could play in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. Because of his great playing, Cissé joined the France national team. He was also chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad.
Cissé continued to score many goals in the 2002–03 season with 14 goals. He also scored six goals in six games in the Coupe de France. This included two goals in the semi-final and one in the final, which Auxerre won. The 2003–04 season was his best for scoring. He got 30 goals in all games, with 26 in Ligue 1. This made him the top scorer for the second time. Overall, Cissé scored 70 goals in 128 league games for Auxerre. He then moved to Liverpool in 2004.
Playing for Liverpool
At Liverpool, Cissé scored five goals in 24 games during the 2004–05 season. In October 2004, he had a very bad accident while playing against Blackburn Rovers. His leg broke, which meant he had a broken tibia and fibula. Doctors thought he would be out for a long time. Cissé later said that quick help from the team's trainers saved his leg.
However, Cissé made a surprising return in April 2005. He came on as a substitute in a Champions League game. He then scored two goals in Liverpool's last Premiership game of the season. He also scored a penalty in Liverpool's win over AC Milan in the Champions League final. In the 2005–06 season, Liverpool's manager used Cissé on the right wing. He scored two goals when Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Super Cup. Cissé also scored Liverpool's first goal in the 2006 FA Cup Final. Liverpool won that game after a penalty shootout. He ended the 2005–06 season with 19 goals.
Time at Marseille
In June 2006, Cissé was set to move to Marseille. But on June 7, 2006, he broke his leg again during a game for France. Even though he was expected to recover quickly, his move was delayed. The two teams agreed on a loan deal in July 2006.
Cissé returned to training in October 2006. He scored his first goal for Marseille in December 2006. At first, he only scored four goals in 14 games. Some people criticized him, but former player Jean-Pierre Papin asked for patience. Cissé then scored four goals in his last seven league games. He finished with eight goals in 21 games. This helped Marseille finish second in the 2006–07 season. This meant they would play in the UEFA Champions League again. In May 2007, he scored two goals in the French Cup Final. Marseille lost that game on penalties.
In July 2007, Marseille bought Cissé permanently from Liverpool. He scored three goals in one game against Caen in January 2008.
Loan to Sunderland
On August 20, 2008, Cissé joined Premier League club Sunderland on loan. He scored the winning goal on his first game for Sunderland. A few days later, Cissé said he wanted to stay at the club permanently. His manager, Roy Keane, also wanted to sign him. Cissé scored his third Sunderland goal in October 2008. He scored his tenth league goal of the season in April 2009. In May, Sunderland decided not to sign Cissé permanently, so he went back to Marseille.
Success with Panathinaikos
On June 25, 2009, Cissé signed a four-year contract with Panathinaikos in Greece. He quickly became a key player for the team. He was the top scorer in the Superleague for the 2009–10 season. He helped his team win both the league and the cup. In his first year in Greece, Cissé scored 23 goals in 28 matches.
Panathinaikos fans loved Cissé. He said he was not just a player but also a fan of the club. In October 2010, he scored two goals against their rivals Olympiacos. He was the team captain and the most valuable player for Panathinaikos.
Moving to Lazio
Cissé moved to the Serie A club Lazio in Italy on July 12, 2011. He signed a four-year contract. He scored two goals on his debut in a UEFA Europa League game. Cissé scored his only league goal for Lazio on his league debut in a 2–2 draw against Milan.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On January 31, 2012, Cissé joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He scored on his first game for QPR. In his second game, he received a red card for reacting to a challenge. He was sent off again in his first five games for QPR.
Despite the red cards, Cissé scored important goals. He scored QPR's equalizing goal in a 3–2 win against his old club Liverpool. He also scored his fifth goal in seven games to win a match against Stoke City. In May 2012, Cissé scored his sixth goal in eight games against Manchester City. QPR lost that game but avoided being moved down to a lower league. In January 2013, he went on loan to Al Gharafa in Qatar. Cissé left QPR in June 2013.
Later Career and Retirement
After QPR, Cissé signed with Kuban Krasnodar in Russia in July 2013. In January 2014, he joined Bastia in France. In June 2015, Cissé played for Saint-Pierroise for a month. On October 20, 2015, Cissé announced he was stopping football at age 34 because of injuries.
However, Cissé returned to football in July 2017, signing with Swiss team Yverdon. In August 2018, he signed with "A.C. Vicenza 1902". In May 2020, Cissé said he wanted to play again to score four more goals in Ligue 1 and reach 100 goals. In April 2021, Cissé joined the American team Panathinaikos Chicago. In 2023, he joined a Spanish seven-a-side team called Los Troncos.
International Career for France
Youth Team Experience
Cissé played for the France under-19 team in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. They reached the quarter-finals, and Cissé scored six goals in five games. This included three goals against Iran and two against Germany.
He also played for the France under-21 team. In a game against Portugal, Cissé scored two goals. But he was sent off for kicking a player. Because of this, he was banned for five games and missed UEFA Euro 2004.
Playing for the Senior Team
Cissé played his first game for the senior France national team when he was 21. This was against Belgium in May 2002. The team manager chose Cissé for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three group games as a substitute. France was knocked out in the group stages.
His first goal for the senior team was in September 2002. Cissé was part of the team that won the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored his only goal in that tournament from a penalty kick.
After his ban, Cissé was chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. But in France's last warm-up game against China in June 2006, he broke his leg again. This meant he could not play in the tournament. Other players like Thierry Henry were sad to see him hurt.
In March 2010, Cissé was called back to the French team for a friendly game against Spain. He made a good impact when he came on as a substitute. On May 11, 2010, he was chosen for France's team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He started in France's final group game against South Africa.
Coaching and Personal Life
Coaching Career
In September 2021, Cissé started coaching. He took a coaching job in the youth section of his former club, Marseille.
Family Life
Djibril Cissé was born in France. His parents were from Ivory Coast, and he also has roots in Guinea. His father, Mangué, was also a professional footballer and captained his country. Djibril was the youngest of seven children.
In 2005, after moving to Liverpool, Cissé bought a large house in England. He became the "Lord of the Manor" of Frodsham. He married Jude Littler, a hairdresser, in June 2005. They had three children together: Cassius, Prince Kobe, and Marley Jackson. Cissé also has a daughter named Ilona from an earlier relationship. Prince Kobe is currently part of the Liverpool academy. The couple divorced in October 2014.
Other Interests
Cissé appeared in a French action comedy movie called Taxi 4. He also has his own clothing line and a perfume brand called "Mr Lenoir". In 2015, he was on the French TV show Danse avec les stars, which is like Dancing with the Stars. In 2021, he was on the French version of Mask Singer, dressed as a skeleton.
Honours
Auxerre
- Coupe de France: 2002–03
Liverpool
- FA Cup: 2005–06
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
- UEFA Super Cup: 2005
Panathinaikos
- Super League Greece: 2009–10
- Greek Football Cup: 2009–10
France
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003
Individual Awards
- FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Shoe: 2001
- Ligue 1 top scorer: 2001–02
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: December 2003
- UNFP Division 1 Young Player of the Year: 2001–02
- Super League Greece Best Foreign Player: 2010
See also
In Spanish: Djibril Cissé para niños
