The ECHO celebrates Mohamed "Momo" Sissoko's Liverpool career, as the former Red turns 41
Momo Sissoko in a blue suit holds his hand to his face in a TV studio as he struggles to contain his emotions.
Momo Sissoko pictured on RMC Sport 1 TV show(Image: )
View 6 Images
Momo Sissoko's time at Anfield was short but sweet. As the Liverpool cult hero turns 41, the ECHO reflects on a player who gave everything for the Red shirt in the two and a half years he represented the club.
Joining from Valencia for in the summer of 2005 for £5.6 million, fresh off the back of the miracle of Istanbul, Sissoko's arrival saw him reunite with the man who gave him his senior debut. Rafa Benitez was Valencia manager when the Spanish side won the Primera Division (LaLiga) and the Europa League in Sissoko's first season in the game, just one year prior.
Liverpool beat off long-term interest from David Moyes' Everton to sign Sissoko, immediately cementing the Malian as a fan favourite. Speaking ahead of his first Merseyside derby in December that year, Sissoko couldn't resist a dig at Everton's expense.
Sissoko said: "Any player in the world would have done the same as me. Between the two offers, I had to go for the Reds because they are the champions of Europe and I already knew Rafa Benitez.
"I am well-prepared for anything the Everton fans have for me. I'm sure they whistle at me from the first minute, but it doesn't worry me."
Momo Sissoko in Liverpool home colours passes the ball along the turf at Stamford Bridge.
Momo Sissoko of Liverpool in the Premier League tie against Chelsea, Feb 5 2006.(Image: Dave Winter / Icon Sport)
View 6 Images
Speaking after his signing, Benitez said: "He's a young central midfielder who plays a high-energy game with a high tempo. He's young, he's not bad on the ball and he will improve the balance of our team.
"He's had two good years with Valencia where he has won trophies. I know him well and he's a very good player."
Sissoko was headhunted as the steel to complement the silk of Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard in the heart of Liverpool's midfield. At the age of 20, he was already earning comparisons to France and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. Nicknamed "The Octopus" in his Juventus years, Sissoko was a profile of player Liverpool were crying out for.
Younger fans might be surprised to learn the European champions had struggled in the 2004/05 season, losing 14 games in the league to finish fifth. Sissoko, much like Fabinho when he signed after the 2018 Champions League final, was seen as a missing piece: a foil for the more creative players in Liverpool's side.
With such cultured passers of the ball in Gerrard and Alonso, the idea behind Sissoko's signing was to provide a defensive screen that would allow Liverpool to dominate the opposition. In theory, this would make Liverpool's success more sustainable.
Momo Sissoko in Liverpool home colours lunges for the ball ahead of Ronaldinho in Barcelona away colours.
Barcelona's Ronaldinho and Liverpool's Mohamed Sissoko battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round Second Leg match at Anfield, March 6, 2007. Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Wire.(Image: PA)
View 6 Images
Back in 2005, most English sides still played 4-4-2, as did Liverpool in Benitez's early years. The Spaniard had already experimented with a 4-2-3-1 at Valencia - a formation he would later to use to great effect at Liverpool with Gerrard buzzing behind Fernando Torres up front. Benitez nevertheless stuck with a 4-4-2 for much of the 2005/06 season.
When Sissoko played, he would usually sit alongside Gerrard or Alonso in a central pairing. His tall frame and front-footed style worked especially well pushing up ahead of Alonso, who would prowl in front of the defence in the deep-lying playmaker role he and Andrea Pirlo turned into an art form.
It was in this role that Sissoko played arguably his greatest game for Liverpool: the 2006 FA Cup final.
The "Gerrard final" will always be remembered for Stevie's miracle strike to take the game to penalties in the depths of extra time. But Sissoko, battling on through cramp, continued to show relentless tackling and intensity until the 120th minute.
That Sissoko was able to play in that game at all was nothing short of a miracle. In February 2006, Sissoko took a boot to the eye in a Champions League clash against Benfica, a horror injury to the retina that resulted in vision loss for the 21-year-old. Reflecting on the injury, Sissoko recalled the doctor's grave prognosis.
Momo Sissoko goes for the ball in the air in front of him in Liverpool home colours.
Momo Sissoko in action for Liverpool during the 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham (Image: )
View 6 Images
Sissoko said: "The doctor said to me, 'I think football is finished for you.' I was in shock. I was only 21 and I was playing for Liverpool, I just felt so sad. It was so painful; I couldn't see anything out of that eye. It was scary. At that moment I entered depression."
Incredibly, Sissoko returned to the pitch in March, playing the full 90 minutes as Liverpool swatted aside Birmingham City to the tune of 7-0 in the FA Cup quarter final at St Andrew's. He finished his debut season at Liverpool with 45 appearances, despite the injury that had threatened to end his career before it had really started.
It was this resilience and commitment that endeared Sissoko so much to Liverpool fans. In 2007, when Liverpool took advantage of Argentinian international Javier Mascherano's third-party ownership situation to sign him on an initial loan from West Ham, Sissoko was included in one of the most iconic chants ever heard on the Kop:
"Oh, we've got the best midfield in the world! We've got Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko, Gerrard and Mascherano!"
But Mascherano's arrival spelled the beginning of the end for Sissoko at Liverpool. Despite signing a contract extension tying him to the club until 2011, Momo was on the way out in January 2008, signing for Juventus in a £6.2 million deal.
Momo Sissoko in Liverpool home colours and Stephen Clemence in Birmingham City home colours challenge for the ball as turf flies in the air.
Momo Sissoko challenging Stephen Clemence of Birmingham City on his return from a serious eye injury. Photo: Tim Easthope(Image: BPM)
View 6 Images
Sissoko's only goal for Liverpool came in the first half of that season: a brilliant, rasping finish into the bottom corner from 20 yards out past Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, after a delicate layoff from Andriy Voronin. The goal was Liverpool's 7000th in league competition.
Sissoko enjoyed a positive spell with Juventus under Claudio Ranieri, Sissoko's former manager from his second year at Valencia, but was blighted by injuries before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2011. A journeyman in his later years, Sissoko finally called time on his playing career in 2020. By his own admission, he was never the same again after that eye injury.
Sissoko, who celebrates his birthday today - one he shares with France and Chelsea stalwart Franck Lebeouf - remains a popular figure in the Red half of Merseyside. In 2019, while without a club ahead of his official retirement, French broadcaster RMC Sport asked Liverpool fans outside Anfield for their memories of Momo.
One fan said: "[He's] one of our cult heroes at Liverpool. A great player and a great character. It's just that he was a consistent player, the fans absolutely loved him. He played with his heart on his sleeve.
"Momo, thank you for your time at Liverpool. You were a great player and the fans absolutely loved you."
Momo Sissoko in Liverpool home colours celebrates with his teammates, fist raised holding a box with his medal.
Momo Sissoko of Liverpool celebrates winning the 2006 FA Community Shield against Chelsea on his Liverpool debut. Photo by Mark Leech/Offside Sports Photography via Getty Images(Image: Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
View 6 Images
Another added: "Unbelievable. Unbelievable. A great talent. Everybody loves him and I think he endeared himself to the fans very much and his passion was great on the field."
A third fan reminisced, saying: "Thanks for the memories, Momo. We all appreciated the times you were on the pitch for us."
Sissoko was moved to tears in the studio when watching the clips played back. Visibly affected with his voice cracking, an emotional Sissoko could only manage to say: "It is heartwarming."
Liverpool fans could hardly ask for more from a player who left everything on the pitch. Happy birthday, Momo!