He wears the French national team’s jersey, has played in major English clubs. At 33 years old, Moussa Sissoko, a French-Malian, known for his calm and serenity, goes back to his roots. His new club (FC Nantes) is French and his future plans are in Africa, with « United Football », a soccer youth academy.
By M.A
Lire la suite : Moussa Sissoko: “there are many young talented soccer players in Africa”His almost military bearing, his slow and confident gait and his British-style phlegm, make him a special player. Praised by the international press, Moussa Sissoko is a soccer player rarely criticized. Good teammate, good « buddy » and good family man. Far from the clichés of the tabloids, he avoids « bling-bling » and is not a fan of glittering parties. “Yes, everyone knows that I don’t miss any episode of the series the Young and the Restles” before my nap, » he said with a smile.
A pure product of Seine-Saint-Denis, he was born in Blanc-Mesnil, before his family moved permanently to Aulnay-sous-bois. He started playing soccer at a very young age at the Espérance Aulnaysienne, before joining, at the age of 1,3 the Toulouse Football Club training center, where he spent a large part of his career. He was very quickly spotted for his reliability and his seriousness. The big English clubs call on him: Newcastle, Tottenham, Watford. At the age of 33, he accumulated nearly 200 matches in Ligue 1, 300 in the Premier League, more than 50 European matches, 71 caps for France…
With all these trips, not a year has passed without seeing him go to the continent. « I try to go at least once a year to see some of my family who live in Mali. I like to go there to recharge my batteries and rest. It allows me to maintain a link with Mali even if I also like to go to Senegal for example, » he says. « What I also like is that Africa is developing very quickly, people want to learn, to discover, to create and to get through. The African youth has a lot of ambitions ».
« We will give back to the youth what soccer has given us »
Moussa Sissoko has a long experience, helped by his regularity and a handling of the pressure. It is for these very reasons that he is known both on the field and in the locker room. That’s why FC Nantes decided to recruit him this season. After years in England with his wife Marylou Sidibé, who is passionate about sports and known for having participated in the adventure show Koh-Lanta, and their smiling daughter Maliya, they are back in France. A way to get closer to their family and to welcome a new family member.
Moussa Sissoko is a supporter of the Abbé Pierre Foundation and a sponsor of the Groupe ADP foundation, which supports projects to fight against illiteracy. Moussa Sissoko is also a man committed to the underprivileged and to youth.
When his friend, the Senegalese footballer Cheikh M’bengue, asked him to join him in « United Football« , his young players academy in Dakar, he accepted it as obvious. Indeed, it is a good way to continue soccer, but from the other side. « Especially since I played with Ckeikh in Toulouse, we made our debut together and now we will give back to the youth what soccer has given us. We will also help them in their schooling and will build a women’s team; these are our other objectives, » says the footballer.
He plans to spend his post-career between France and Africa « because I love both »; it is also because the continent is a land of future. « There are many young talented soccer players in Africa. If we can help some of them achieve their dreams by being a bridge between Europe and Africa, I will be proud of it. »
