Former partner of Zinedine Zidane in the French team, Djibril Cissé could also have played alongside him at Real Madrid…
Djibril Cissé doesn’t necessarily have great memories of his nine years in the France team. He certainly has 41 selections and 9 goals, but was one of the two biggest fiascos for the Blues at the World Cup, in 2002 in South Korea and in 2010 in South Africa. However, he missed the 2006 World Cup due to a terrible injury on the eve of departure for Germany due to a serious leg injury or Euro 2004 due to a suspension with the Espoirs.
The native of Arles nevertheless had the pleasure of working with Zinedine Zidane for four years and he has unforgettable memories of it. “Zidane, it’s a shock! The first time I met him was before the 2002 World Cup. We were already in South Korea and Zizou, who was playing in the Champions League final, joined us directly there. I was waiting for this moment like a big fan. We were eating and he comes into the room. Suddenly, silence. You feel like the guy is imposing without saying a single word”he told the columns of Le Parisien for the release of his book “My life as a footballer”.
According to him, Djibril Cissé could also have played with Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. But the French striker then rejected the 1998 Ballon d’Or. “He tells me that Real Madrid are interested in me and that he could see himself playing with me in Spain. I told him that, even though I hadn’t signed anything, I had already given Liverpool my word. I don’t regret anything because I don’t know if I would have started in Madrid. But my first big discussion with Zizou was to tell him no! », he explained. And the man with 96 goals in Ligue 1 can have even fewer regrets since he won the Champions League with the Reds in 2005.
