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. »
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« 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! »
