Djibril Cissé

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Cissé started his youth career at Nîmes in 1992, before moving to Auxerre in 1996. He spent two years in the youth system at Auxerre, graduating to the first team in 1998. After six seasons at Auxerre, scoring 90 goals in 166 appearances, he moved to Liverpool in 2004. He later played for Marseille, Sunderland, Panathinaikos, Lazio, Al-Gharafa, Kuban Krasnodar, Queens Park Rangers, Bastia, Yverdon Sport, and Saint-Pierroise. Cissé suffered two leg breaks, breaking his left leg in October 2004 while playing for Liverpool against Blackburn Rovers, and his right leg in June 2006 in a friendly for France against China. He played for France at the 2002 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and was part of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup winning squad.

In Their Own Story

The Stade Vélodrome is alive with tension on 6 April 2008. Marseille, under Eric Gerets, have turned their season around and are fighting for a Champions League spot. Lyon, the dominant champions, have seen their lead at the top reduced. Spurred on by heated support from the stands, Marseille attack from the start. Mamadou Niang scores first, and then Djibril Cissé adds a second just before the half-hour mark. Lyon are outplayed and lucky to trail only 2–1 at halftime after an own goal. Early in the second half, Niang scores again to make it 3–1, and Marseille hold on for a famous victory.

Reader's Guide

Cissé played as a forward. He was top scorer in Ligue 1 in 2001–02 and 2003–04 with Auxerre. At Liverpool, he won the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League and 2005–06 FA Cup. He scored 8 goals in 21 league appearances for Marseille in 2006–07, helping them finish second. He was Superleague top scorer in 2009–10 with Panathinaikos, leading them to a double.

Did You Know?

• Cissé scored the winner in Liverpool's 2–1 win over Aston Villa in the last match of the 2004–05 Premier League season, with Steven Gerrard scoring the other goal.
• He converted a penalty in Liverpool's shootout win over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.
• Cissé scored a hat-trick for Marseille in a 6–1 win against Caen on 26 January 2008.