It's been 16 years since former Liverpool midfielder Mohamed "Momo" Sissoko last donned the famous red shirt, having joined the Reds from Valencia for $7.2million (£5.6million/€6.6million) in the summer of 2005.
The former Mali international enjoyed a three-year spell on Merseyside, becoming part of the side that won the UEFA Super Cup in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006, along with the FA Community Shield in which he was named man of the match in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
Across two-and-a-half seasons with the Reds, he racked up 87 appearances across all competitions and scored just one goal - a 20 yard screamer against Sunderland in August 2007. Five months later, the Mali international joined Serie A side Juventus for $12m (£9m/€11m) to bring an end to his time with Liverpool.
READ MORE: Momo Sissoko tells Arne Slot 'important' Liverpool ace who simply cannot be allowed to leave
READ MORE: When will Liverpool players return from Euro 2024 and Copa America for Arne Slot pre-season?
He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Italian giants, making a century of appearances, before moving to Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of $7.6m (£5.8m/€7m) in the summer of 2011 and helping the club win the league in his first season there.
Between 2013-2015, Sissoko played for Spanish side Levante, before becoming somewhat of a journeyman towards the end of his professional career. The French-born midfielder spent time in China (2015), India (2016), Italy (2017), Indonesia (2017), Mexico (2017-18) and Hong Kong (2018), before finally returning to France to end his career with Sochaux in 2019.
In January 2020, Sissoko officially announced his retirement from professional football. On the international stage, Sissoko represented Mali between 2003-2013, scoring two goals in 34 appearances for the West African nation and helping them to a third-placed finish at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
These days, Sissoko operates as the founder and CEO of Leading Sport Management, an agency for footballers. The 39-year-old also does punditry work for French television channel RMC Sport and takes part in speaker events in France.
In a 2020 interview with The Athletic , the father-of-seven who lives in the Versailles suburb of Paris said: “Sometimes I really miss playing — the atmosphere in the stadium and the dressing room. But I know it was the right moment to stop and it has given me the chance to do other things. I’m busy these days trying to find the new Sissoko. I have an academy in Mali, I do some TV work here and I’m also an agent. I manage young football players from Africa and France. I have players at big clubs in France, like PSG and Rennes.
“Becoming a coach or a manager isn’t for me, but I want to stay involved in football. I want to help the next generation understand the game and what they’re going to face. Sometimes the new generation thinks football is easy and that you don’t need to work. But you need to fight, my brother, if you want to make a big career. You need to fight a lot.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0