Reds star a fantasy footballer
Sep 16 2005
By David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
MAYBE it was lost in the translation.
Liverpool's impressive new midfielder, Momo Sissoko, appeared to tell the waiting reporter outside White Hart Lane last Saturday that he loved playing at Real Betis because he had scored the winning goal last time he played there.
It later transpired Sissoko had misheard the question and was talking about a goal he had scored for Mali.
Which was just as well, because a quick shifty at the record books revealed no sign of a match-winning goal for our imaginative hero in Seville.
We shouldn't have been too surprised, though. In September 2004 Sissoko was four days late arriving back in Valencia from an international trip.
He explained away his absence by saying he had been called up by Mali for an impromptu friendly match - he had played particularly well, oh, and scored a goal as well.
A little research by boss Claudio Ranieri revealed no such match had taken place.
No action was taken. "He has made a mistake. That is the end of the matter," said Ranieri.
And, after another splendidly spikey performance in Seville, no-one will begrudge Sissoko the occasional daydream about goals that never were.
By the way, did you know I once scored against a team which contained Mick Lyons, Paul Power, Dave Jones and Colin Harvey?
No, honestly! I've got the picture to prove it.
