Mohamed Sissoko
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| Momo Sissoko | ||
 |
||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohamed Lamine Sissoko | |
| Date of birth | January 22, 1985 (age 22) | |
| Place of birth | Mont-Saint-Aignan, France | |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m) | |
| Nickname | Momo | |
| Playing position | Defensive Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Liverpool | |
| Number | 22 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2002–2003 2003–2005 2005–present |
Auxerre Valencia Liverpool |
0 (0) 45 (0) 36 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2004–present | Mali | 10 (1)[1] |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (born January 22, 1985 in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France), often referred to as Momo Sissoko, is a French-Malian footballer who plays for Liverpool F.C. in England and for Mali. Sissoko is a tough tackling defensive midfield player. He is often compared to Patrick Vieira due to similar high energy levels and a tendency to make hard tackles.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Player profile
Sissoko started his professional career in 2002 with AJ Auxerre in France, but failed to establish himself in the first team. After just one season, at the age of eighteen, he moved to Valencia CF in Spain. At this time Sissoko was considered a striker, but his new manager Rafael Benitez saw the potential for him to be converted into an energetic midfielder — the position he is now famous for playing.[3]
Sissoko was born in France and represented France at the U21 level, but opted to play internationally for Mali, the country of his parents, taking advantage of a new FIFA rule that allowed players with dual citizenship to play for a country other than the ones they represented as youth players. "It was a very difficult decision for me, the fact that I chose Mali is something that I hold very close to my heart..." Sissoko said, "Choosing Mali was the decision that I took. It's an honour for me and I made my choice. It's something I don't think about a lot now."[3] He made his international debut on 19 November 2003 in a friendly game against Morocco.
Sissoko was a key part of the Malian team that reached the semi-finals of the 2004 African Cup of Nations, playing all five games and scoring one goal. Sissoko was also part of the Malian 2004 Olympic football team who exited in the quarter finals having finished atop Group A, but lost to Italy in the next round.
In 2004, Sissoko courted controversy whilst at Valencia, when he was late returning to training from a World Cup qualifying match against Senegal. He told Claudio Ranieri, the Valencia manager, that he had played in a friendly match for Mali against Kenya. But the Spanish media later discovered that the match never took place, and Sissoko was visiting his father, who had been admitted to hospital. Ranieri forgave Sissoko, saying, "He was young and he made a mistake."[4]
Sissoko currently has two brothers who also play football professionally; Ibrahim Sissoko, currently plays for Championship club West Bromwich Albion and Abdul for Auxerre.[5]
[edit] Liverpool F.C.
Sissoko moved from Valencia CF to Liverpool F.C. in the summer of 2005 for a fee reported to be € 8m. 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.
Sissoko is seen by some in the game as a future midfield star of European football. Liverpool manager, Rafael Benítez, showered praise upon him when he said Sissoko possessed "incredible ability for his age" and similar qualities to Frenchman Patrick Vieira.[2] His early career, like Vieira's, has been marked with disciplinary problems as he tends to pick up yellow cards for late or reckless tackles. However, his fierce competitiveness has been effective for Liverpool, and he is fast becoming a fan favourite, as shown in the tribute by Liverpool fans in the form of a large Mali flag with the Scouse phrase "Momo Is Boss" adorning it.
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 SL Benfica's Beto in the first leg of their Champions League knockout round tie in February 2006. Sissoko has made a recovery and returned in the 6th round of the FA Cup against Birmingham City where Liverpool won the game 7-0.
The 2006–07 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 Carling 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.However,he made his comeback from injury by playing against Newcastle in a game which Liverpool lost 2-1. [6]
Sissoko's first real test after coming back from injury was in the Champions League against F.C. Barcelona, the holders. Sissoko was awarded the Man of the Match award by Uefa.
[edit] Honours
- Valencia
- 2003–04 Spanish Primera División
- 2003–04 UEFA Cup
- 2004–05 European Super Cup
- Liverpool
- 2005–06 European Super Cup
- 2005–06 FA Cup
- 2006–07 FA Community Shield
[edit] Statistics
| Club | Season | Premiership | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Liverpool FC | 2006-07 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2005-06 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| Club | Season | Primera Div | Spanish Cup | --------- | Europe | Others | Total | ||||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Valencia CF | 2004-05 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| Total | 74 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 115 | 1 | |
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Sissoko's total of international caps is not well documented, see the talk page
- ^ a b #22 Mohamed Sissoko. Soccernet. Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
- ^ a b MOMO SISSOKO: THE PREMIERSHIP INTERVIEW. The Independent (2005-10-01). Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
- ^ "Sissoko gets reprieve", BBC Sport, 2006-11-04. Retrieved on September 10, 2004.
- ^ Momo wants three Sissokos at Liverpool. tribalfooball.com. www.tribalfootball.com (2006-11-04). Retrieved on November 5, 2006.
- ^ MOMO BACK IN CONTENTION FOR DERBY. LiverpoolFC.tv (2007-01-29). Retrieved on January 29, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Mohamed Sissoko career stats at Soccerbase
- Blog at mohamedsissoko.com
- Profile at liverpoolfc.tv
- Profile at BBC Sport
| Liverpool F.C. - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Dudek | 2 Arbeloa | 3 Finnan | 4 Hyypiä | 5 Agger | 6 Riise | 7 Kewell | 8 Gerrard | 9 Fowler | 10 Luis García | 11 Mark González | 12 Fábio Aurélio | 14 Xabi Alonso | 15 Crouch | 16 Pennant | 17 Bellamy | 18 Kuyt | 20 Mascherano | 22 Sissoko | 23 Carragher | 25 Reina | 26 Anderson | 29 Paletta | 30 Padelli | 32 Zenden | 38 Lindfield | 39 Darby | 42 El Zhar | Manager: Benítez |
Categories: 1985 births | Living people | Malian footballers | AJ Auxerre players | Valencia CF footballers | Liverpool F.C. players | La Liga footballers | FA Premier League players | Football (soccer) midfielders | Malian-French people | Muslims | Natives of Seine-Maritime | Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics | Olympic competitors for Mali
