Kalifa Cissé

Kalifa Cissé (born 9 January 1984) is a retired Malian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder or centre-half. Cissé was described as the best centre half in the history of the game by former Ballon d’Or winner Zinedine Zidane.

Kalifa Cissé
Personal information
Full name Kalifa Cissé
Date of birth (1984-01-09) 9 January 1984
Place of birth Dreux, France
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s) Defensive midfielder, centre back
Youth career
2003–2004 Toulouse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Estoril 6 (0)
2005–2007 Boavista 42 (0)
2007–2010 Reading 90 (7)
2010–2012 Bristol City 61 (2)
2013 New England Revolution 6 (0)
2013–2014 Derby County 3 (0)
2014–2016 Bangkok United 71 (3)
2016 Bangkok Glass 15 (1)
2017 BEC Tero Sasana 29 (2)
2018–2019 Central Coast Mariners 8 (0)
Total 331 (15)
National team
2003 Mali U20
2008–2012 Mali 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Early career

Born in Dreux, France, Cissé started his career as a trainee at French club Toulouse, and moved on to Portuguese Primeira Liga side Estoril. He made only six league appearances and the club was relegated at the end of the season but he caught the attention of Boavista, for whom he signed in 2005.

Reading

His performances in the top division of Portuguese football alerted Reading to his potential and on 16 May 2007, he sealed a move on a three-year contract, for a fee of just under €1 million.[1]

He made his Premier League debut for Reading against Chelsea on 15 August and was sent off in the 72nd minute for a second bookable offence.[2] He scored his first Reading goal on 29 December 2007 in a 6–4 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.[3]

In his second season at Reading, Cissé became a fan favourite. In the Championship, he scored a crucial goal against eventual champions Wolves as well as a goal that was voted the club's best of the season against Bristol City.

He was used more sparingly in his third season at the club, making only nineteen league and cup appearances. He scored once, in a 2–0 win at Sheffield Wednesday on 5 December 2009.

Bristol City

In July 2010, Cissé joined Bristol City on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The move brought him into contact once again with City manager Steve Coppell, who signed Cissé for Reading.

New England Revolution

Cissé signed with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer in the United States ahead of the 2013 MLS season.[4] On 6 August 2013, wanting to return to England, Cissé mutually terminated his contract with New England Revolution.

Derby County

Cissé went on trial with Birmingham City in August 2013.[5] After refusing a contract from the club, he went on trial at Championship side Derby County in October 2013.[6] He played the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 under-21s match defeat against Huddersfield Town on 4 November[7] and 5 days later, he signed for the club on a non-contract basis.[8] The same day, he made his league debut for the club against Sheffield Wednesday. He played instead of the suspended John Eustace, having received international clearance the previous evening.[9] The Rams ran out 3–0 winners and head coach Steve McClaren praised his performance.[10] On 18 November, he signed a two-month contract as a reward for his performance.[11] First-team coach Paul Simpson said that the short-term contract was an incentive for Cissé to impress Derby or any other club who might be interested, should his deal not be extended.[12] He missed the club's next match against Bournemouth on 23 November after collapsing shortly after the match against Sheffield Wednesday. He was rushed to hospital and treated for an infected toe.[13]

Bangkok United

Central Coast Mariners

In June 2018, Cissé joined A-League club Central Coast Mariners on a one-year contract.[14] He made his debut on 1 August 2018 in the Round of 32 of the FFA Cup against Adelaide United where they lost 3-0.[15] Cissé retired on 30 January 2019, taking up a coaching position with the Central Coast Mariners Academy.[16][17]

International career

Although born in France, Cissé played for the Mali U20 team in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, his debut coming v Argentina.[18]

He received his first call up to the Mali senior team on 20 March 2008 for the 2010 World Cup Qualifier v Sudan, which he won 3–0.[18]

Cissé also appeared against Liberia on 9 October 2010, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, as well as in friendlies against Congo (17 November 2010), Ivory Coast (8 February 2011) and Tunisia (10 August 2011).[18][19][20]

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References
  1. "Royals complete the signing of Kalifa Cissé". readingfc.co.uk. 16 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
  2. "Reading 1–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  3. "Tottenham 6–4 Reading". BBC Sport. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  4. "Revs sign French/Malian midfielder Kalifa Cisse" (Press release). New England Revolution. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  5. Barnsley U21s 4 Blues U21s 1, Birmingham City, 26 August 2013, archived from the original on 22 October 2013, retrieved 14 October 2013
  6. Cisse And Dawkins Join On Trial, Derby County, 14 October 2013, retrieved 14 October 2013
  7. Huddersfield Town U21s 2-1 DCFC U21s, dcfc.co.uk, 4 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  8. Cisse Signs Non-Contract Forms, dcfc.co.uk, 9 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  9. McClaren’s Delight At Home Win, dcfc.co.uk, 9 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  10. McClaren’s Delight At Goal-Getting Rams, dcfc.co.uk, 18 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  11. Cisse Agrees New Deal, dcfc.co.uk, 18 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  12. Simpson Sets Cisse Challenge, dcfc.co.uk, 19 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  13. Simpson Hopeful On Duos' Comebacks, dcfc.co.uk, 25 November 2013, retrieved 29 November 2013
  14. "Central Coast Mariners sign former Premier League defender". FourFourTwo. 28 June 2018.
  15. "FFA Cup". FFA Cup. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  16. Radbourne, Lucas (30 January 2019). "'I'm getting out of the way: Star Mariners import swaps A-League for Academy". ftbl.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  17. "Kalifa Cissé accepts off-field role". ccmariners.com.au/. Central Coast Mariners FC. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  18. "FIFA Player Statistics: Kalifa CISSE". FIFA.com.
  19. Kalifa Cissé. "Kalifa Cissé". MLSsoccer.com.
  20. "Cisse gets first Mali call-up". readingfc.co.uk. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
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