Top facts about Mohamed Sissoko, the Black Ninja

Mohamed Sissoko (Mont-Saint-Aignan, Rouen District, France, January 22, 1985) is a former French footballer of Malian origin who played as a midfielder.

He is the older brother of Abdoulwhaid Sissoko and cousin of Seydou Keita, also footballers.

Mohamed Sissoko’s age

is 36. Here you can find out the most important facts about Mohamed Sissoko, the African player.

On January 14, 2020, after being without a team since June 2019, he announced his retirement as a professional footballer.

An important fact about Mohamed Sissoko is that he could have chosen to represent France on the international stage since he was born in France, but he opted to represent the national team of his ancestral country of Mali instead.

Sissoko moved from Valencia to

for £5.6 million in the summer of 2005 and his first appearance was against Kaunas on 26 July 2005 in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

Former Liverpool midfielder had a horrible eye injury while playing in the Champions League Round of 16 against

during his first season with the Reds.

Sissoko's injury problems continued throughout the 2009–10 season and into 2010–11 season, as he suffered thigh strains, a leg strain, Achilles tendon inflammation, and finally season-ending knee surgery in March 2011. He believed that his career could have been even better if he had not been injured.

After failing to find a club for 2019-20, he announced his retirement from playing on 13th January 2020, "If I am here this evening, it is to tell you that it is the end for me. I stop my career, it is a decision really difficult to take and to say."

Top facts about Mohamed Sissoko:

A notable fact about Mohamed Sissoko is that he is the elder brother of Abdoulwhaid Sissoko and the cousin of Seydou Keita, both of whom are professional footballers themselves.

He declared his retirement as a professional footballer on January 14, 2020, after being without a club since June of that year.

Mohamed Sissoko early life

Mohamed Sissoko’s parents

had fled Mali, West Africa, in quest of a better life in France. Speaking about Mohamed Sissoko’s parents, it should be mentioned that Mohamed, his father, worked long hours at a factory, while Fatou, his mother, worked similarly as a cleaner, and Sissoko seems to have inherited their tenacity.

Regarding

Mohamed Sissoko’s childhood

, it is worth mentioning that he was focused on a better life, on giving his all, and you get the impression that he doesn't want to squander any time in his profession.

Mohamed Sissoko personal life

He is the nephew of former African Footballer of the Year Salif Keta, who, like Sissoko, played for Mali and Valencia CF before moving on to play for

. Salif Keita is also the uncle of former FC Barcelona player Seydou Keita, who is now playing for the New York Red Bulls.

Both Moussa Sissoko and Seydou Keita are defensive midfielders who are known for their hard-tackling style. Because of his tough tackling and work rate, Sissoko is nicknamed as "the Black Ninja" by his opponents. He is Abdou Sissoko's older brother and a member of the Sissoko family. He is the cousin of Oumar Sissoko, a professional footballer.

On the Arab television network Al Arabiya, which is in Dubai, Sissoko said, "I am proud of being a Muslim, and I observe Ramadan even during the football championship."

Mohamed Sissoko professional career

Mohamed Sissoko started to play for Mali after featuring for the French u-21 team. He had a biting tackle and is considered a formidable shield for any defense.

He was trained in Auxerre’s respected academy playing as a striker for the reserves, scoring 50 goals in two years according to his website.

Rafa Benítez brought the youngster over to Valencia in 2003 before he made his first-team debut at Auxerre and developed his game in a new position as a defensive midfielder.

Mohamed Sissoko club career

Born in France, Mohamed Sissoko began his football career in the youth department of AJ Auxerre. His professional career started in 2002 at the age of 17 at Auxerre, where he did not come to a single use in the 2002/03 season.

Valencia

An important

fact about Mohamed Sissoko

is that he signed a free transfer with the Spanish team Valencia CF, led by Rafael Bentez, in 2003, and played in the midfield for the club until his retirement in 2007.

Valencia won the La Liga championship in 2003–04 and went on to win the UEFA Cup the following year, during which Sissoko appeared in nine games for the club. He departed to manage Liverpool the next year, and was succeeded by Claudio Ranieri, who took over as manager of the Premier League club.

Liverpool

In the summer of 2005, Sissoko made the move from

to Liverpool for a fee of £5.6 million.

His debut appearance came on the 26th of July, 2005, against Kaunas in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. After colliding with Benfica player Beto in February 2006, he had a significant eye injury.

It was well worth the wait to see Momo Sissoko score his first and only goal for Liverpool. Although the tenacious and energetic midfielder signed with the Reds in the summer of 2005, he did not officially register with the club until a little more than two years later.

When the opportunity arose, he did it in a fashionable manner. Taking advantage of Andriy Voronin's throw-in, Sissoko unleashed a ferocious low shot into the bottom right corner of Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon from a mere 25 yards out.

When Chelsea won the FA Cup in 2006, Sissoko was a key member of the team's success, contributing significantly to their success. In the summer of 2007, Sissoko turned down lucrative offers from the likes of Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, and

in order to remain on Merseyside.

His lone goal for Liverpool occurred on August 25, 2007, when he scored a low effort from twenty yards out against Sunderland in a 2–0 away victory.

Juventus

A notable

fact about Mohamed Sissoko

is that he moved to Italian club Juventus in January 2008, where he would reunite with former boss Claudio Ranieri. The transfer cost was €11 million, and the pair would play together for the first time.

In February 2008, he made his debut appearance for the club, replacing Tiago in a Serie A match against Cagliari Calcio in the 67th minute as a substitute.

Against Fiorentina on March 2, 2008, Sissoko scored his first goal for Juventus, which was an equalizer for the team. His regular starting position in Claudio Ranieri's 4–4–2 formation during the first half of the 2008–09 season was established alongside teenager Claudio Marchisio, with whom he formed a midfield partnership as the center midfield duo in Claudio Ranieri's 4–4–2.

His season was cut short when he suffered a broken foot in March 2009, which forced him to miss the remainder of that season as well as the start of the 2009–10 season.

After sustaining thigh strains and a leg strain in the 2009–10 season, Sissoko went on to experience Achilles tendon irritation and, ultimately, season-ending knee surgery in March 2011, which put a stop to the remainder of his season.

Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain completed the signing of Sissoko on July 28, 2011, in exchange for a transfer fee of €7 million, with a further €1 million if the club qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League before September 2013.

It was in November that Sissoko scored his first goal for PSG, when he headed home a cross from Nenê in a 1–1 draw against Bordeaux at the St.ade Chaban Delmas that he established himself as a regular starter.

When he led the side against rivals

in Le Classique in April of that year, the French club was sent off in the 86th minute for two bookable offences in a game that ended 2–1 in favor of the Parisian club.

A notable fact about Mohamed Sissoko is that he joined Fiorentina on loan on the 30th of January, 2013. On the 3rd of September, 2013, Sissoko and

agreed to part ways.

Levante

The 30-year-old midfielder signed a six-month contract with La Liga side Levante on January 30, 2014, after being almost five months without a club.

Shanghai Shenhua

Transferred to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua on June 25, 2015, he was released from his contract on February 21, 2016, according to the club.

FC Pune City

On October 1, 2016, he became a marquee player for the FC Pune City team of the Indian Super League (ISL). Initially signed a six-month deal with Ternana Calcio on February 17, 2017, but was released from the club barely 25 days after signing the agreement.

Mitra Kukar

On April 13, 2017, he signed a one-year deal with Indonesian club side Mitra Kukar. On December 2, 2017, Sissoko signed a contract with Atlético San Luis, a Mexican team.

Kitchee

On the 4th of July, 2018. Sissoko signed a one-year contract with Kitchee, a member of the Hong Kong Premier League. He left his job less than four months later to care for his father in France, which he had to do because of the contract.

FC Sochaux-Montbéliard and retirement

On January 16, 2019, he agreed to terms with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard for a six-month period. Sissoko confirmed his retirement from professional football in January 2020.

Mohamed Sissoko international career

Sissoko was born in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France, and was eligible to play for the French national football team. However, he chose to represent his home country of Mali instead. From 2004 until the present, Sissoko has represented his country in practically all African Cup of Nations qualifying and tournaments, with his most recent appearance being in 2011.

In addition, he has appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifications for both the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. Sissoko has made 34 appearances for Mali in all competitions and has scored two goals in those games.

He competed for the Mali national football team in the 2004 African Cup of Nations and the 2013 African Cup of Nations, where he finished fourth and third, respectively.

Mohamed Sissoko style of play

In addition to being a physically powerful defensive midfielder, Sissoko is a skilled ball winner, a position that enables him to assist his more attacking midfield colleagues defensively by laying the ball off to them after regaining control of the ball.

A comparison has been made between him and former French midfielder Patrick Vieira because of his tenacity and endurance, as well as his work-rate and tactical knowledge. During his tenure with Juventus, he also earned the moniker "La Piovra" (the octopus) as a result of his long arms and high-octane style of play.

His tremendous striking ability from distance, in combination to his ball-winning talents and muscular and athletic traits, has earned him a reputation for being one of the best in the world.

Mohamed Sissoko and Vieira

A career in which he never quite lived up to the lofty expectations that were put on his shoulders has come to an end for the Mali national team's star midfielder. The summer of 2005 was an exhilarating period for Liverpool supporters.

After winning the Champions League against

in Istanbul on the spur of the moment, the club went about establishing itself as a legitimate contender for the top-flight title. It was clear that a repetition of the fifth-place position in the league the season before would not be acceptable after the excitement of that night at Ataturk Stadium.

In order to close the distance between themselves and the top of the league, players such as goalkeeper Pepe Reina, defender Daniel Agger, and imposing striker Peter Crouch were recruited.

In contrast, the most ardent support, at least in the eyes of manager Rafa Benitez, was saved for Mohamed Sissoko, a 21-year-old defensive midfielder from Valencia, who was a previous teammate of Benitez's.

His manager in Spain said that "a few years ago he was dubbed the next Vieira" and that the youngster "played several games when he was 18 and 19." "He has extraordinary ability for his age.

"In my opinion, Vieira was no better than Sissoko when I saw him when he was 18 years old. As a result, Sissoko runs more than Vieira, and he will be more dynamic than Vieira in a couple of years, as well as a better player."

Although he received high appreciation, the contrast with Vieira was considerably more direct than first seemed to be the case.

That was the summer in which Arsenal, who had finished 25 points ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League, parted ways with their iconic captain and leader.

Vieira, who had been courted by Europe's elite for years, had finally decided on a transfer to Juventus, leaving behind a Gunners squad that was widely believed to be lacking in leadership and ready for disintegration.

Finding a player in his mold, but with the potential to be even better, was an important step in getting back into the mix with the top-tier teams in the league.

Sissoko, on the other hand, thought the analogies were rather complimentary. It has been brought to my attention that I have been compared to Patrick." He was a fantastic Arsenal player who had a significant impact on the English game during his tenure at the club "He started by saying "I'm just 22 years old.

"I have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do on my game before I can consider myself proficient. If I want to be as good as Patrick, I'll have to put in the effort to become a great player. I hope that one day people will see the validity of my analogies. That is my ultimate objective."

However, as it turns out, he would channel Vieira, although not in the way in which either he or Benitez had planned and expected.

It was the same voyage from England to Turin that Sissoko took in 2008. If he had inquired about the availability of the No.4 jersey, it would have been interesting to see what he found out.

His 30-month stint in the Premier League, on the other hand, did not have the same lasting influence as that of the legendary Frenchman. Although the comparison did him no favors, there was undeniably enough potential in him to have accomplished much more than he did during his time on Merseyside.

Aside from his proclivity for picking up yellow cards (and a red card against Sunderland in November), there was a lot to like about his early Liverpool performances, which Benitez eased him into over the course of the first half of the season under the guidance of the manager.

Meanwhile, the defending champions were also in fine form in Europe, having gone undefeated through the Champions League Group Stage and only been defeated once in a group that included their local rivals

. Unfortunately for Sissoko, it was during this tournament that tragedy struck him for the first time.

When he was involved in a fight with Beto in the first leg of their Round of 16 knockout encounter against Benfica, the Mali international sustained a horrific head injury that left him with a deep gash on his forehead. He suffered severe damage to his retina as a result of the accident, which rendered him completely blind for 36 hours and severely impaired his right-side vision.

In the first match, Liverpool would lose 1-0 after losing their anchor man on the half-hour mark, and they would succumb in the second leg at Anfield to leave the tournament after going down 3-0 on aggregate.

Sissoko would miss a month of play before returning in an FA Cup match against

, when he wore goggles for the first ten minutes before taking them off after 10 minutes.

During the first ten minutes of wearing the glasses, he noticed that they were heating up. "I decided to take them off," he said. After that, he provided an assist as Liverpool cruised to a 7-0 triumph.

As a result of his refusal to play with the protective glasses, alleging pain, Sissoko put his vision at danger of irreparable damage every time he went onto the field, despite medical recommendations.

The Mirror reported in 2007 that he had lost sight of a high ball during an English Premier League match against Manchester United, and that he was often in agony when playing in the bright glare of the sunshine.

In reality, he never entirely recovered from the experience. It was, in his own words, "not the same" as before.

Late in the 2006 season, he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was forced to miss three months of play, appearing in just 16 league games for Liverpool that season.

The signing of Javier Mascherano from

in January 2007 essentially ended Sissoko's tenure as a starting midfielder at Anfield during his absence under Benitez.

Imagine what may have happened if his right eye had not sustained such significant damage, or if he had not been sidelined by injury so often throughout a professional career that spanned Spain, England, Italy, and France (he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Juventus in 2011).

Nonetheless, he leaves the game having won two Uefa Super Cups, the Ligue 1 and La Liga crowns, one FA Cup, and the Europa League.

Sissoko never quite lived up to Benitez's expectations or his own promises, but in his own right, he experienced the apex of the European game and also had a distinguished international career with Mali, which he credits to Benitez. Not exactly Vieira, maybe, but one can hardly hold it against him in this instance.

Mohamed Sissoko quotes

Mohamed Sissoko has revealed why he chose to remain with Liverpool over Barcelona. The former midfielder, who joined Liverpool from Valencia in the summer of 2005, won the FA Cup in 2006 and reached the Champions League final with the Reds in 2007, before getting bids from all around Europe as top teams tried to sign him.

And he spurned down offers from the Camp Nou in order to remain with Rafa Benitez on Merseyside. "I turned down Barcelona's offer," stated the now 36-year-old. "I accepted their offer and we were in advanced discussions, but I was content in Liverpool.

I opted to remain since I didn't want to move anyplace. I had a fantastic experience at Liverpool, with the FA Cup final versus West Ham being my favorite match. We came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the cup."

Sissoko only stayed with the Reds for 51 matches before moving to Juventus in January 2008. He does, however, fondly remember his time at Liverpool, especially the chance to learn from iconic captain Steven Gerrard and midfield master Xabi Alonso after joining the club at the age of 20.

"They taught me a lot when I was little, they were two masters in their own right. Just seeing Gerrard in training taught me a lot. He was the sort of leader who would give his life for his team and city.”

"'We need to win - I was born here and I've got to win,' he would remark to the whole team before a derby. This is my team, my city, and my jersey.

I'd give my life for Liverpool, so let's go out there and do what we need to do.' He didn't have to yell or become angry at the other players. He had an uncanny knack to say the right thing at the right time."

Some quick facts about Mohamed Sissoko:

Mohamed Sissoko’s professional career started as a player in the academy of the French club AJ Auxerre, yet he never had the opportunity to play for them in their first team.

For AJ Auxerre before his transfer to the Spanish club Valencia CF in 2003, Sissoko had always played in the forward position but started to adjust to the midfield position under the guidance of manager Rafael Benitez from that point on.

Rafael Benitez saw in the Malian youngster a promising young talent with the potential to develop into a top-tier defensive midfielder in the future. Valencia had a highly good season in 2003-2004, whilst the Malian player had a more average season in the same year.

In contrast, Sissoko played in just nine games and scored only one goal for Valencia, who won both the League and the UEFA Cup. It was meant to be a compliment to the coach because of his youth.

The next year, Benitez stepped down as manager of Valencia CF and was replaced by Claudio Ranieri, who allowed Sissoko the chance to establish himself as a regular in the starting eleven.

An important

fact about Mohamed Sissoko

is that he rapidly established himself as a fan favorite, earning the nickname "Black Gold."

Sissoko played 21 games in his second season, and he quickly established himself as a player noted for his strong performances. In the summer of 2005, he signed a five-year contract with Liverpool of the Premier League for a reported fee of 5.3 million pounds.

A notable fact about Mohamed Sissoko is that he had originally wanted to join Everton, a team that competes with Liverpool, but he eventually chose to return to the Premier League to work with his old coach Rafael Benitez.

Then-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez lavished praise on him, stating that Sissoko has "amazing talent for his age" and shared similarities with Frenchman Patrick Vieira, among other things.

Discipline issues, a proclivity to earn yellow cards in the finals, and a reckless mentality characterized his early professional career, much like Vieira's.

However, his ferocious competitiveness proved beneficial to Liverpool, and he quickly established himself as a fan favorite, as seen by the homage paid to him by Liverpool supporters in the shape of a big Malian flag emblazoned with the message "Momo is Boss."

Following an inadvertent kick to the head by Beto of SL Benfica in the first leg of the round of 16 in February 2006, it was thought that he may lose sight in his right eye. His retina had been seriously injured as a result of the injury.

He said, “This time, I remember it all the time. Without this injury, I could do more than what I did. This injury stopped me a lot — my vision was not the same.”

However, he healed and returned in the sixth round of the FA Cup against Birmingham City, this time wearing safety eyewear, to help Liverpool win 7-0. In May 2006, he was presented with the MMOTY award. In the 2006 FA Cup final, in which Liverpool defeated West Ham United on penalties, he made his comeback to a complete game for the Reds.

A successful start to the 2006-2007 season for Sissoko came in the form of a goal for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield, for which he was named man of the match. Because of an arm injury he sustained against Birmingham City in the League Cup in early November, he had been unable to continue his season.

On January 29, 2007, it was stated that Sissoko will be in good shape for the derby against Everton, which was played on February 3, 2007. Sissoko was in excellent form for the derby. He did, however, return to action against Newcastle United, a match that Liverpool lost 2 -1 to the visitors.

Following his comeback from injury, the first big test for Sissoko came in the Champions League against FC Barcelona, where Liverpool successfully defended their championship.

UEFA named Sissoko the man of the match after the game. However, for the rest of the season, he was forced to battle with Javier Mascherano, who had just arrived from Argentina, for a position in Liverpool's midfield.

During the first few weeks of the 2007-2008 season, Mascherano took up the role of Sissoko in Liverpool's formation in the Champions League matches. The speculation that he was about to quit Liverpool, according to the attention shown by clubs such as Juventus FC and

, erupted after this occurred.

Sissoko, on the other hand, signed a deal with Liverpool on June 28 that would keep him at the club for another four years, until 2011. Later, it was discovered that he had received an offer from Juventus, which he turned down in order to stay at Liverpool for the time being.

On August 25, 2007, in a match against Sunderland, Sissoko started in midfield in place of the injured

, who had been out with an injury.

Following an assist from Andriy Voronin, he scored his first goal in his professional career with the club during the game, a goal from a distance of around 25 yards.

In addition, he scored the 7,000th goal in Premier League for Liverpool. The Frenchman stayed with Liverpool for the first half of the 2007-2008 season, but he was moved to Juventus FC in January 2008, when he reunited with his previous coach, Claudio Ranieri, for the second time in his career. Sissoko made a total of 80 games for Liverpool during his time there.

In a statement released on January 28, 2008, Liverpool announced that Sissoko had been sold to Juventus for € 11 million. Against Cagliari on February 3, 2008, he made his debut appearance for the club, coming in as a substitute in the 67th minute to take Tiago's place in the starting lineup.

Sissoko's debut goal for Juventus came on March 2, 2008, in a 2-2 draw with

at the Juventus Stadium. A solid connection with Claudio Marchisio in the middle of Claudio Ranieri's 4-4-2 system was established throughout the first half of the 2008-09 season and he was having a solid run of success until he was injured again. Since then, he had established himself as a regular starter in the Turin team's defensive midfield.

A deal with Paris Saint-Germain for 7 million euros plus performance incentives was revealed on July 28th, 2011, and the player would join the club in the fall of 2011.

To his dismay, he was loaned out to AC Fiorentina at the conclusion of the 2011/2012 season, and he subsequently returned to his former club for the 2012/2013 season, declaring himself Ligue 1 champion in the process.

On the 30th of January, 2014, he signed a contract with Levante UD that would last until the conclusion of the season. The 21st of February, 2014 marked the debut of the new club in the equivalent game for Week 25 of La Liga, which ended in a draw at home to Real Valladolid.

It would come to an end with a total of 10 cumulative games, and eventually Levante would execute the buy option it had for its rights, so he remained a member of the Granota organization for another season. With the addition of Lucas Alcaraz, he was quickly establishing himself as the team's starting midfielder with Pape Diop for the 2014/15 season and beyond.

A notable fact about Mohamed Sissoko is that he has played 34 times for the Mali national soccer team, and he has scored two goals in those appearances. On November 19, 2003, he made his professional debut in a friendly match against the Moroccan squad, which finished with a 1-0 victory for the Portuguese.

Mohamed Sissoko social media

Regarding

Mohamed Sissoko social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with more than 76k followers. In the page we can see various pictures of him with the fans and his family.

He also has a Twitter account (

) with more than 249k followers. He rarely posts new stuff on his Twitter page.

Mohamed Sissoko body measurements

Speaking about

Mohamed Sissoko body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former player is 189 cm and 79 kg.

Mohamed Sissoko net worth and salary

Mohamed Sissoko's net worth

is believed to be in the range of $6 million to $7 million dollars. From his major profession as a soccer player, he has amassed a substantial fortune.

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