Djibril Cissé wants you to leave him alone…

Djibril Cissé insisted on being the one player to answer questions on friday morning even though the club had conveniently scheduled him for late december, hoping he would be better on the pitch than he is today.
But, always the straight shooter, Djibril wanted to give the members of the press a piece of his mind and he did. Apparently, the fact that his wife lost their baby is taking a toll on him and you can only genuinely feel for the guy. He still refuses to talk about the tragedy, the interview ending early when a journalist asked him how his wife was doing. Here are a few excerpts of that heated press conference.

DJIBRIL CISSE, you have been criticized pretty harshly recently. How would you judge your own performances?

This season, Marseille played three good matches. And, every time, I was not there. I began wondering if I was not the “chat noir” of the team. But one should not be selfish: it bothers me that I don’t play, but I only put my personal feelings after the team’s well being. Against Lyon, of course I would have liked to come in, even for a small period of time… But we won at the end and Mamadou Niang had a great game.

Marseille seems more competitive with only Mamadou Niang alone up top.

At the moment, the team is better with Mamadou than with me. This is obvious. But things can go fast in football. Perhaps that in a short while, this situation will be upside down…Those who started against Lyon may not be the same as the eleven that will start against Metz in the Ligue 1 next round. Anyway, I’m working hard to be part of the starting eleven.

Last year, you also had a few delicate moments.

That’s true. During five or six matches, I sat on the bench. But I worked harder and overcame all that to come back to a better shape. I will do it again this season even if it seems more difficult.

What do you answer those who think that your poor performances are linked to your busy nocturnal life?

Some people accused me of having been to Paris to party! But all that is bullshit. After the Auxerre match, I have never asked José Anigo to leave for Paris to tear it up. Nobody knows why I wanted to go to Paris. But this rumour stayed and now, for most people, I am a party-goer. They say: “Cissé? he goes out. Cissé? he does this… ” But I do not go out! I challenge anybody to see me one evening in anight club! I go to the Commanderie to train, I work and I come back home. It is everything. I am working and this will pay. I’m not doing anything wrong therefore there’s no reason to believe that I won’t be better soon. I keep the faith, God will help me.

You seem particularly angry

I’m really fed up with this. I’m tired of being criticized all the time! I know what I can do. I didn’t come to OM to be on the bench. But it is not necessary to repeat every day in the newspapers that I am not good. Once is enough. The day after we won against Lyon, they spoke almost as much about my absence on the pitch than about the performance of Mamadou Niang. And two days later, I was first page from L’Equipe. They were wondering who should be played upfront of me or Mamadou. They should stop harassing me and leave me alone!

But you are member of the french National Team and your poor performances can worry…

(It cuts off the journalist ). Once should be enough. Just say it once and for all, but not every damn day! This is becoming a very heavy burden. I do not understand why they couldn’t speak more of Valbuena, Nasri or Niang. Why make such big deal because Cissé is not at his best. Why not talk about how good Niang has been lately for example? I know that the journalists de everything in their power to portray me as somebody about whom they speak more for his extra-sports feats than for his performances on the pitch. But I am not the character that they want to portray!

Do these attacks destabilize you?

I was never subjected to such criticisms, even when I played for Liverpool. Two days after the Lyon game, after I came back from arest period in England, I read the French press and they speak of “Cissé: divorcing the Marseillais way”. But what kind of bullshit is that? Leave me alone!

Have you ever thought of leaving OM?

If I tell you that i didn’t then i’m a liar. Yes it slipped my mind. But I have a five-year contract and I plan on staying that long.

Djibril also insisted that he had a lot of ambition for his time under the white jersey, claming that

“I have too many things to prove… I am a proud person, I am a fighter. Last year, I announced that I would score 15 goals and I did it. This year, I said 20, and we will discuss again about it at the end of theseason.”

He finished the interview saying that he would play on the side to help the team but that he and everyone knows that it is not his position. He also alluded that his objective was clearly playing the Euro 2008 with the National Team. As for his metallic plates, he decided not to have them taken out. Even though they still hurt, he knows the surgery would mean him being out for another month and as he puts it himself, he ” ha[s] too many things to prove before then…”
Now here’s the video of the already infamous interview.