Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Moussa Sissoko[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | [2] | 16 August 1989||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Le Blanc-Mesnil, France | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Watford | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
1995–1999 | Espérance Aulnay | ||||||||||||||||
1999–2001 | Red Star | ||||||||||||||||
2001–2003 | Espérance Aulnay | ||||||||||||||||
2003–2007 | Toulouse | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2007–2013 | Toulouse | 192 | (20) | ||||||||||||||
2013–2016 | Newcastle United | 118 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
2016–2021 | Tottenham Hotspur | 141 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
2021–2022 | Watford | 36 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2022–2024 | Nantes | 56 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2024– | Watford | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
2005 | France U16 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2005–2006 | France U17 | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2006–2007 | France U18 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2007–2008 | France U19 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2008–2011 | France U21 | 20 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
2009–2021 | France | 71 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 June 2021 |
Moussa Sissoko (born 16 August 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains EFL Championship club Watford. He is a box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch, and is capable of playing in either a holding midfield role, or even as an attacking midfielder, right winger or right-back.
Sissoko began his football career playing for local youth clubs in the Île-de-France region, such as Espérance Aulnay and Red Star. In 2002, he moved south to join professional club Toulouse. Sissoko spent four years in the club's youth academy and made his professional debut in the 2007–08 season, as well as making his UEFA Champions League debut. In the following season, Sissoko earned award nominations for his performances and also helped Toulouse qualify for the newly created UEFA Europa League. He eventually joined Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2013, before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur in 2016 following Newcastle's relegation from the top flight. At Tottenham, Sissoko finished runner-up in the 2016–17 Premier League and started the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. After departing Tottenham in 2021, he spent a season at Watford before joining Nantes in 2022.
Sissoko was a French youth international and played at all levels he was eligible for. In August 2009, he was called up to the senior team for the first time and made his senior international debut in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Faroe Islands.[3] He made his first international start four days later in a qualifier against Austria. Sissoko was a member of the France side that finished runners-up at UEFA Euro 2016.