Cisse puts other footballers to shame

From the Sun on Sunday


THINKING OF HOME ... Toon ace Papiss Cisse
EXCLUSIVE
By PAUL SMITH
Published: Today at 00:00
PAPISS CISSE has revealed his biggest goal in football — to support his 70-strong family back home in Senegal.


Newcastle may be battling for a Champions League place but their sensational No 9 knows his biggest achievement is keeping his family safe.

Cisse, 26, has housed them, paid food and utility bills and helped out relatives who have become ill.

He insisted: “Football is everything to me and I don’t know what I would do without it. I am thankful to God for all he has given me and the luck I have had in fulfilling my dreams.

“I am very religious and I praise God for giving me the talent in football because without it my family may not have survived.

“Football was the light at the end of a tunnel that has allowed me to support them and give them a good life.

“I am from a large family. I was playing football in the streets from an early age with all my friends.

“I went to a good school but my family were not rich. I had to wait until I joined the local football academy before I owned my first pair of football boots.

“I’ve never forgotten where I came from and I am proud to help my family. I’m the only one who has the chance to help them financially.

“I have 65-70 relatives in Casamance in south Senegal. What should I do?

“I’ve learnt to play football, so I can help now. I built the family a large house, I support the purchase of food and electricity and especially help out when someone is sick.”

Cisse, with 10 goals in just eight league starts for Newcastle, has come a long way from the boy who played barefoot on Dakar’s streets.

And although his dreams have come true, he is now focused on firing the Toon into Europe.

The Senegal striker realises he has a lot to live up to in the famous No 9 shirt, immortalised by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer.

But the weight of wearing it drives the £10million signing from Freiburg on in the hope of being talked about as a fellow Tyneside great in years to come.

He said: “To wear the No 9 at any club is a challenge and a greater demand because the shirt is always associated with great stars.

“I know Shearer was a No 9 and a great forward. It is emotional to know I’m wearing such a famous shirt and because of that I want to succeed even more.

“The No 9 shirt offers you the chance to become a legend at this club. I have only just arrived but hope in many years from now the Newcastle fans can talk about a Senegalese player who wore No 9 and scored many important goals.

“I would love for the fans to talk about me in the same respect as Shearer when I leave this club.

“Since I joined they have been amazing and made it easier to feel at home.

“Some say Newcastle fans are mad but all I want to do is drive them crazy with goals.

“In Africa is it normal to see fans in the stands with their shirts off but, with the cold weather in Newcastle, I didn’t expect it.

“It’s made me feel at home and that passion drives us on as players to do well.

“In England the heart of football lives more in the stands than it does in Germany and I love the feeling the crowd gives you in England.”

Cisse’s partnership with fellow countryman Demba Ba has blown the race for European places apart and he is thrilled at the prospect of Champions League football.

He added: “We can finish in the top four in the league.

“The club deserves to be playing in Europe but the Champions League is one better than that and it is what we must aim for.”

 

Great read. Did you see Gary Lineker on MOTD last night saying to Shearer, he thought there was only one sissy (Cisse) in Newcastle?

 

Aye. We're starting to fet praise from all quarters now.. At long last!

 

[video=youtube;C3TUWU_yg4s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3TUWU_yg4s&feature=fvst[/video]

 

Fair play to the lad. Nice and refreshing to read of a footballer with morals and values. He seems to appreciate that his talent is on loan and acts accordingly. After reading that I have respect for the bloke.

 

Think his attitude and general demeanour on the pitch was epitomised yesterday when he saw that his goal was disallowed, just smiled and started laughing with the linesman and ran straight back without complaining despite the closeness of the decision. How many Premier League footballers would do that?

 

Aye i saw that on tv last night Tino. It's hard for me to say but you have to give him credit for that. Paradoxically for a bloke in the football 'hot-bed' of the north east he seems to see that football is not really that important in the great scheme of things.

 

What a ****ing guy.

 

Hahahaha at these tags!

 

Cisse top man.

 

There are quite a few African footballers who think this way. Some get corrupted by the greed and self obsession common in European footballers though.

Top man Cisse.