Mohamed Sissoko facts for kids
Sissoko in 2012
|
||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohamed Lamine Sissoko | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mont-Saint-Aignan, France | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Troyes | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Auxerre | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Auxerre | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Valencia | 45 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Liverpool | 51 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Juventus | 71 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Paris Saint-Germain | 28 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Levante | 31 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015 | Shanghai Shenhua | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Pune City | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Ternana | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Mitra Kukar | 26 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Atlético San Luis | 13 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | Kitchee | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2019 | Sochaux | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 310 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2013 | Mali | 34 | (2) | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Mohamed Lamine Sissoko, born on January 22, 1985, is a former professional football player. He was known for playing as a defensive midfielder. Even though he was born in France, he played for France's youth teams. Later, he chose to play for the Mali national team.
Contents
Mohamed Sissoko's Club Journey
Starting at Auxerre
Sissoko began his football journey in the youth system of the French club Auxerre. He played as a second striker during his time there.
Playing for Valencia
In 2003, Sissoko moved to the Spanish club Valencia for free. The team was managed by Rafael Benítez. Sissoko played in the midfield position. Valencia won the 2003–04 La Liga title that year. They also became UEFA Cup champions, with Sissoko playing in nine matches.
Time at Liverpool
Sissoko joined Liverpool in the summer of 2005 for about £5.6 million. His first game was in July 2005 during the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. In February 2006, he had a serious eye injury after a collision with a player from Benfica.
Sissoko was an important part of the team that won the FA Cup in 2006. In the summer of 2007, he decided to stay at Liverpool. He turned down offers from big clubs like Barcelona and Juventus. His only goal for Liverpool was scored on August 25, 2007. It was a powerful shot from 20 yards out against Sunderland.
Moving to Juventus
In January 2008, Sissoko moved to the Italian club Juventus. He joined his former coach, Claudio Ranieri, there. He made his first appearance for Juventus in February 2008. Sissoko scored his first goal for Juventus in March 2008 against Fiorentina.
During the 2008–09 season, he often started games. He played in the center midfield with Claudio Marchisio. His season ended early in March 2009 because he broke his foot. This injury kept him out for the rest of that season and the start of the next.
Sissoko continued to have injury problems in the following seasons. He suffered from thigh strains, a leg strain, and Achilles tendon inflammation. He also had knee surgery in March 2011.
Playing for Paris Saint-Germain
On July 28, 2011, Sissoko moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The transfer fee was €7 million. Sissoko scored his first goal for PSG in November. He headed in a cross in a 1–1 draw against Bordeaux. In April 2012, he was the team captain against rivals Marseille. He was sent off the field in that game.
In January 2013, Sissoko joined Fiorentina on a loan. On September 3, 2013, Sissoko left PSG by agreement.
Later Career Years
On January 30, 2014, Sissoko joined the Spanish club Levante. He signed a six-month deal after being without a club for almost five months. On June 25, 2015, he moved to the Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. He left that club in February 2016.
In October 2016, he joined the Indian club Pune City. In February 2017, he joined the Italian club Ternana. However, he ended his contract just 25 days later.
On April 13, 2017, he joined the Indonesian club Mitra Kukar. In December 2017, Sissoko moved to the Mexican club Atlético San Luis.
On July 4, 2018, Sissoko joined the Hong Kong club Kitchee. He signed a one-year deal. Less than four months later, he ended his contract to take care of his father in France.
In January 2019, he signed a six-month contract with Sochaux. In January 2020, Mohamed Sissoko announced that he was retiring as a player.
Mohamed Sissoko's International Career
Sissoko was born in France and played for France's youth teams. However, he chose to play international football for his family's home country, Mali. He was first called up to the Mali national team in 2004. He played for Mali in many African Cup of Nations games and qualifiers. He also played in FIFA World Cup qualifiers for 2006 and 2010.
Sissoko played 34 official games for Mali and scored 2 goals. With Mali, he finished fourth in the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He also helped Mali finish third in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
How Mohamed Sissoko Played
Mohamed Sissoko was a tall, fast, and strong defensive midfielder. He was excellent at winning the ball from opponents. This skill allowed him to help his teammates who played more offensively. He would win the ball and then pass it to them.
Because of his strong tackling, stamina, hard work, and smart playing style, he was compared to former French midfielder Patrick Vieira. He was also called "La Piovra" (the octopus) when he played for Juventus. This nickname came from his long arms and energetic way of playing. Besides winning the ball, he was also known for his powerful shots from far away.
Mohamed Sissoko's Personal Life
Mohamed Sissoko is the nephew of Salif Keïta. Salif Keïta was a famous footballer from Africa. Like Sissoko, Salif Keïta played for Mali and Valencia. Salif Keïta is also the uncle of former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keïta. Both Sissoko and Seydou Keïta played similar roles as strong defensive midfielders. Sissoko was sometimes called "the Black Ninja" because of his tough tackling and hard work. He is the older brother of Abdou Sissoko and the cousin of footballer Oumar Sissoko.
Honours and Awards
Mohamed Sissoko won several titles with his clubs and national team:
Valencia
- La Liga: 2003–04
- UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Liverpool
- FIFA Club World Championship runner-up: 2005
- FA Cup: 2005–06
- FA Community Shield: 2006
- UEFA Super Cup: 2005
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2012–13
Mali
- Africa Cup of Nations bronze: 2013
Individual
- Community Shield Man of the Match: 2006
Images for kids
-
Sissoko in 2012
-
Sissoko playing for Liverpool in 2005
See also
In Spanish: Mohamed Sissoko para niños
