MOMO SISSOKO

Momo Sissoko has been an important signing by Rafa.

The player from Valencia nearly signed from Everton, until Rafa read the Liverpool Echo and stepped in.

His style has fitted perfectly in to the English game, and his athleticism and tough tackling has helped Liverpool add some grit.

He came back from a career threatening injury in 2005 and was the Anfield Online Signing of the Season 2005/06.

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Momo Sissoko's career stats

Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (born January 22, 1985 in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France), known as Mohamed Sissoko or Momo Sissoko, is a Malian football player who, moved from Valencia CF to Liverpool F.C. in 2005 for a fee reported to be €8m. He had been expected to sign for Liverpool's rivals Everton but ultimately plumped for the opportunity to work again with former Valencia boss, Rafael Benítez.

He was part of the Malian 2004 Olympic football team who exited in the quarter finals having finished top of Group A but lost to Italy in the next round.

Sissoko was born in France but opted to play internationally for the country of his parents, Mali. Sissoko is seen by many in the game as a future midfield star of European football. Liverpool manager, Rafael Benítez, showered praise upon him when he said Sissoko possessed "incredible ability for his age" and might even grow to be a better midfielder than Arsenal's former player Patrick Vieira.

Sissoko courted controversy whilst still a Valencia player by taking time off, supposedly to compete in an international friendly game for Mali. It was later discovered that he had gone to see his father Mohamed, who was ill in hospital.

Asked by a Spanish journalist upon his return how the international had gone, Sissoko claimed that, not only had Mali won, but he had scored the winning goal. The game never existed.

Sissoko is a tough tackling defensive midfield player. He is often compared to Vieira due to his tendency to make hard tackles. His early career, like Vieira's, has been marked with disciplinary problems as he tends to pick up yellow cards for late or reckless tackles. However, his fierce competitiveness has been a blessing for Liverpool, and he is fast becoming a fan favourite.

There were fears for Sissoko's eyesight in his right eye after his retina was severely damaged after he was accidentally kicked in the head by SL Benfica's Beto in the first leg of their Champions League knockout round tie in February 2006. Sissoko has made a recovery and returned in the 6th round of the FA Cup against Birmingham City where Liverpool won the game 0-7.

Honours

* 2003–04 Spanish Primera División
* 2003–04 UEFA Cup
* 2004–05 European Super Cup
* 2005–06 European Super Cup
* 2005–06 FA Cup