Starting his professional career extremely early when he was transferred from AJ Auxerre to Valencia in 2003, Mohamed Sissoko perhaps started to decline a bit earlier than most, last playing at the highest level in Europe at the age of 31 for Levante.
Since then, spells at Shanghai Shenhua (China), Pune City (India), Ternana (Italy in Serie B), Mitra Kukar (Indonesia), Atlético San Luis (Mexico) and now Kitchee SC in Hong Kong have made him something of a footballing journeyman, trying out different cultures.
However, his early years as a footballer were rather glamorous, playing for the aforementioned Valencia, Liverpool, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, which all started thanks to Rafael Benitez.
The Spanish manager, now at Newcastle United, was the one who brought him to La Liga from Auxerre, and the pair continued their journey together at Anfield after he moved to Liverpool in 2005.
Giving him opportunities at such a young age is something the defensive midfielder will always be grateful for, as he explained to Il Mattino in Italy when they asked him which manager he was most connected to.
He said: “Two words: Daddy Benitez.”
Asked to elaborate on his nickname for the Newcastle manager, he said: “Yes, he gave me everything. I arrived at Valencia aged 17, and he gave me the possibility to play straight away in the first-team. He gave me everything to grow.”
As for which manager he wished he’d worked with, the answer to that is current Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri, having seen his how his Napoli side played last year.
