Position: Forward
Squad Number: N/A
Date of birth: 12-08-1981
Birth Place: Arles, France
Former Clubs: Auxerre
Transfer Fee: £14m (reportedly) FOLLOWING over a year of speculation the Reds finally tied Djibril Cisse to a five-year contract in July 2004. The Frenchman had been constantly linked with a move to Anfield as Gerard Houllier monitored the young striker's progress under the tutelage of his old friend, Auxerre manager Guy Roux. Despite Houllier's departure and new boss Rafael Benitez's arrival in the summer of 2004, Liverpool went ahead with the deal to smash their club record transfer fee for the third time in nine years. Having excelled at Auxerre, a full international debut soon followed against Belgium in May 2002, which led to him being picked for the World Cup squad to travel to Japan and Korea ahead of the likes of Nicolas Anelka. The following season saw many Reds get the first look at Cisse in action on the famous Anfield turf as Auxerre were despatched in the UEFA Cup. While the evening ended in disappointment for the Frenchman and his team-mates, Djibril ended the season strongly, scoring in the French Cup Final as Auxerre beat Lens and he was also a part of the Confederations Cup-winning French national squad. An unfortunate sending-off and subsequent five-match ban incurred in February 2004 whilst playing for the French under-21's deprived Cisse of the chance to travel with the full national side to Euro 2004. Shortly after, Cisse made a scoring Liverpool debut in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham. However, his ill fortune returned when a horrific injury sustained against Blackburn in October 2004 saw him break his leg. It was to his credit that a recovery was completed ahead of schedule, with Cisse returning to action in April 2005. A month later he would figure in Liverpool's Champions League glory in Istanbul, scoring a vital penalty in the shoot-out win over AC Milan. Despite constant transfer speculation, Cisse began the following campaign by coming off the bench to help the Reds win the UEFA Super Cup, scoring one and setting up another in the 3-1 victory over CSKA Moscow. He finished the 2005/06 season with a total of 19 goals in all competitions, including an FA Cup final strike against West Ham. Then, for the second time in as many years, Cisse broke his ankle playing for France in a friendly match against China, ruling him out of the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. Despite this, Cisse was still expected to join Marseille on loan in the summer of 2006, as Rafael Benitez continued to ring the changes. | 
