Djibril Cissé

Auxerre

After starting his career with Nîmes, Cissé signed for Auxerre at the age of 15. Playing for the youth team in 1999, Cissé won the Coupe Gambardella, the equivalent of the FA Youth Cup. After being promoted to the first team squad by coach Guy Roux, Cissé made his Ligue 1 debut at the age of 17 as a substitute against Paris Saint-Germain on 20 March 1999. His first goal came at the start of the 2000–01 season in a 2–1 defeat of Metz. He ended this season, his first as a regular in the first team, with eight goals from 25 games. In the 2001–02 season, Cissé was the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 22 goals from 29 matches, as Auxerre finished in third place and qualified for the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. Cissé's form saw him make his debut for the France national team and earn a place in the team's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Cissé was again amongst the league's top scorers in 2002–03 with 14 goals. He also scored six goals in six matches in Auxerre's successful Coupe de France campaign, including both goals in the semi-final defeat of Rennes and the equaliser in the 2003 Coupe de France Final victory over PSG. 2003–04 proved to be Cissé's most successful goalscoring season, with 30 goals in all competitions, including 26 in Ligue 1 to win the golden boot for the second time. Overall, Cissé scored 70 goals in 128 league games for Auxerre, before signing for Liverpool in a deal worth over £14 million in the summer of 2004.

Liverpool

At…

Youth career

Cissé played for the France under-19 team in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals, with the player scoring six goals in five games. These goals included a hat-trick against Iran on 18 June 2001 in a 5–0 win on their opening game, and two goals against Germany on 27 June 2001 in the round of 16. He was included in the France under-21 team. in the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. Cissé scored two goals against Portugal in the first leg of qualification playoffs, winning 2–1. In the second leg, Cissé scored a goal but for kicking Mário Sérgio he was sent off. France went on to lose the game 4–1 on penalties, after drawing 3–3 on aggregate. As a result of the sending off, he was given a five match ban and missed UEFA Euro 2004.

Senior career

Cissé made his international debut against Belgium at the age of 21, coming on as a 48th-minute substitute for David Trezeguet on 18 May 2002. The team manager Roger Lemerre included Cissé in his 23-man squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament, he played in all of the group matches against Senegal, Uruguay, and Denmark, coming on as a substitute in all three games, but France were eliminated in the World Cup group stages. His first goal in the senior tournament came on 7 September 2002 against Cyprus in the Euro 2004 qualifiers. Cissé was part of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup championship team. He scored his only goal of the tournament…

In September 2021, Cissé took up a coaching position in the youth sector of former club Marseille.

Family

Cissé was born in France to Ivorian parents. He is also of Guinean descent. He was raised a Muslim and converted from Islam to Catholic Christianity at the age of 15 after taking catechism classes at a training center in Nîmes. His late father, Mangué, was a professional footballer and had captained his country, before his parents moved to France in 1974. Djibril was the seventh and last child of his family, after siblings N'ma, Damaye, Abou, Fode, Seni and Hamed. In 2005, after his move to Liverpool, Cissé purchased a manor house in the village of Frodsham, Cheshire, and in doing so became Lord of the manor of Frodsham. Soon after buying the house, his decision to refuse the Cheshire Forest Hunt permission to hunt on his land received substantial press coverage. On 18 June 2005, Cissé married former Welsh hairdresser Jude Littler. The wedding took place at Bodelwyddan Castle, with notable guests including Shaun Wright-Phillips and Cissé's French national teammates Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord. He got married in a tuxedo in the red of Liverpool. The couple divorced in October 2014 and have three children, Cassius, Prince Kobe and Marley Jackson. Cissé has a daughter, Ilona, from a previous relationship. Prince Kobe is currently on the books of the Liverpool academy.

Health

Cissé is a teetotaler.

Other pursuits

Cissé had a cameo role in a French action comedy film Taxi 4, featuring in a high-speed driving scene. Cissé has his own clothing…