On the eve of the release of his upcoming book, titled “My Life as a Footballer,” Djibril Cissé opened up in an interview with Le Parisien, revealing a humorous encounter with Zinedine Zidane.
The first conversation with Zinedine Zidane is a memory Djibril Cissé will cherish. He had to say no to him. “Zidane, it’s a shock! The first time I crossed paths with 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 eagerly awaiting this moment as a huge fan.”
“We were having a meal, and he walks into the room. Suddenly, silence. You can feel that the guy commands respect without saying a single word,” reminisced the former Marseille player.
“Right after, he knocked on my door. I opened it, a bit shocked. And there he tells me that Real Madrid is 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 my word to Liverpool. I regret nothing because I don’t know if I would have been a starter in Madrid. But my first significant conversation with Zizou was telling him no!”
