Moussa Sissoko

Moussa Sissoko (born 16 August 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Greek Super League club Panathinaikos. He is a box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch, and is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder, or even as an attacking midfielder, right winger or right-back.

Sissoko began his football career playing for local youth clubs in the Île-de-France region, such as Espérance Aulnay and Red Star. In 2002, he moved south to join professional club Toulouse. Sissoko spent four years in the club's youth academy and made his professional debut in the 2007–08 season, as well as making his UEFA Champions League debut. In the following season, Sissoko earned award nominations for his performances and also helped Toulouse qualify for the newly created UEFA Europa League. He eventually joined Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2013, before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur in 2016 following Newcastle's relegation from the top flight. At Tottenham, Sissoko finished runner-up in the 2016–17 Premier League and started the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. After departing Tottenham in 2021, he spent a season at Watford before joining Nantes in 2022.

Sissoko was a French youth international and played at all levels he was eligible for. In August 2009, he was called up to the senior team for the first time and made his senior international debut in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Faroe Islands. He made his first international start four days later in a qualifier against Austria. Sissoko was a member of the France side that finished runners-up at UEFA Euro 2016. He was also included in their squad for UEFA Euro 2020.

Early life and career

Sissoko was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil, a Parisian suburb, to Malian parents. His father is a construction worker and his mother is a housewife. Sissoko is the eldest of four children, with three younger sisters. He was attracted to football at a very young age, stating, "I quickly realised that football could lead me to have a better life". At the age of six, Sissoko joined the youth academy of Espérance Aulnay, based in nearby Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb in northeastern Paris. He trained three times a week at the club under the supervision of trainer Adama Dieye, who now serves as a correspondent for the club's futsal team. Sissoko describes Dieye as an important mentor in his development stating "I am here today because of him".

In July 1999, Sissoko moved to Saint-Ouen to join Red Star. Sissoko spent two years at the club and was teammates with former France youth international Yannis Salibur. In September 2001, he returned to Aulnay for a further two years developing before seeking a move to a professional club.

Club career

Toulouse

2003–2008

In July 2003, Sissoko made the trek down south to the Haute-Garonne department to sign with professional club Toulouse. He signed an aspirant (youth) contract and was placed in the club's under-14 team. Sissoko spent three years developing in the club's youth academy alongside future teammates Cheikh M'Bengue and Étienne Capoue before earning a call up to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, ahead of the 2006–07 season. Sissoko appeared in 18 matches during the amateur season, quickly becoming one of the club's most sought after prospects. Prior to signing his professional contract with Toulouse, he garnered interest from English clubs Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers.

Midway through the 2006–07 season, Sissoko signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Toulouse until June 2010. He was subsequently promoted to the club's senior team in the ensuing summer and assigned the number 22 shirt by manager Elie Baup. Sissoko made his professional debut on 4 August 2007, appearing as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Valenciennes. He made his first professional start the following week in the club's 1–0 upset victory over the defending champions Lyon. On 15 August, he appeared in the club's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg match against Liverpool. Sissoko replaced Albin Ebondo in the 83rd minute and received a yellow card in the final minute. Toulouse lost the first leg 1–0 and the tie 5–0 on aggregate. Sissoko scored his first professional goal on 1 September 2007 in a 2–0 victory over Auxerre, scoring in injury time after coming on as a substitute two minutes previously. In late September, he began featuring in the team as a regular starter playing in the defensive midfielder role alongside attackers Achille Emana and Fodé Mansaré, and captain Nicolas Dieuze. On 6 January 2008, Sissoko scored his second goal of the season against Paris in the Coupe de France. Toulouse surprisingly lost the match to the semi-professional club 2–1. Despite the promising individual season from Sissoko, Toulouse finished one place above relegation and Baup was sacked and replaced by Alain Casanova. Following the season, on 25 July 2008, Sissoko signed a contract extension with the club until 2012.

2008–2013

Following the departure of Emana to Spain, Casanova put Sissoko into the box-to-box midfielder role ahead of the 2008–09 season to accommodate emerging defensive midfielder Étienne Capoue into the starting lineup, as well as Étienne Didot, who arrived from Rennes. The move allowed Sissoko to retain his defensive duties, but also showcase his attacking skills. He began the season featuring primarily as a substitute under Casanova, but by December, Sissoko had become a regular in the starting eleven. On 24 January 2009, he scored his first goal of the season against amateur Alsatian club Schirrhein in an 8–0 thrashing in the Coupe de France. It was a memorable goal with Sissoko running nearly the entire pitch with the ball at his feet, eluding several Schirrhein players, before finishing at the six-yard box. Toulouse reached the semi-finals of the competition before losing 2–1 to the eventual winners Guingamp. In the league, Sissoko was a key contributor in helping a refurbished Toulouse side finish 4th in the league, leading to qualification for the newly created UEFA Europa League. He scored his first goal of the league campaign on 7 February in a 2–0 victory over Le Mans. Sissoko also scored goals in victories over Derby de la Garonne rivals Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain. In total, he made 40 appearances and scored five goals. For his efforts, he was nominated for the UNFP Young Player of the Year, along with teammate Capoue who also had an outstanding season.

Prior to the start of the 2009–10 season, Sissoko drew strong interest from Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur. The English club reportedly offered as much as £12 million for the player and subsequently increased its offer to £15.5 million before president Olivier Sadran declared that Sissoko would not be sold. Despite Sadran's comments, fellow Premier League club Manchester City, as well as Italian clubs Internazionale and Juventus, and German club Bayern Munich were also linked with Sissoko. To quash the rumours, Sadran announced that Sissoko would not leave the club for anything less than €30 million.

Sissoko started the 2009–10 campaign by displaying his attacking prowess as he scored six league goals in the club's first 12 matches. He opened the campaign scoring in the club's second league match of the season against Saint-Étienne in a 3–1 victory. On 20 September 2009, he scored in the club's 2–0 win against Le Mans and in the following week scored the opening goal in the club's 2–1 loss to Lyon. On 1 October 2009, Sissoko scored his first career European goal in a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Belgian club Club Brugge. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. On 24 October, Sissoko recorded his fourth league goal of the season in a 2–0 away victory over Lens. In the ensuing two weeks, Sissoko scored both openers in a 1–1 draw with Marseille and a 3–2 victory at home against Rennes. Sissoko's goalscoring slowed in the latter part of the season, scoring only one goal after the winter break against Valenciennes in a 3–1 win. He was a regular in the team for the rest of the season, but Toulouse failed to keep pace with the league leaders and finished a disappointing 14th.

Despite interest from several clubs, Sissoko opted to remain at Toulouse stating he was happy to remain at the club and would let his agent deal with his transfer situation. He scored his first goal of the new season on 22 September 2010 in a 2–1 defeat to Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Coupe de la Ligue. On 6 February 2011, Sissoko scored both team goals in a 2–0 win over Monaco.

Newcastle United

On 21 January 2013, English side Newcastle United confirmed they had signed Sissoko on a six-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £1.5 million. It was rumoured that Sissoko waived any signing on fee from his new club in order to push the move through after Toulouse were unwilling to let him leave until the summer, when his contract expired. He was given the number 7 shirt.

He made his debut for Newcastle on 29 January, getting the assist for the opening goal in a 2–1 win against Aston Villa. In his second match, his first at St James' Park, Sissoko scored both the equalising and winning goals in a 3–2 comeback victory against Chelsea. On 24 February, Sissoko scored in a 4–2 win against Southampton.