I always thought if I have money, I can’t keep it for myself
TOON HERO CISSE KEEPS ON GIVING
PAPISS CISSE grew up working as a fisherman and driving an ambulance in Senegal aged 15.
So every day of his career – and even now – he asked: “Why me? I was not even the best of my friends but I am the only one to get this chance. I ended up in Europe, at Newcastle, scoring in the Europa League quarter-final.”
He rose from poverty to become Newcastle United’s No.9, scored one of the Premier League’s greatest goals and shot Alan Pardew’s Toon to a remarkable fifth-place finish 12 years ago with 13 goals in 12 games.
As a Toon player, he bought an ambulance for his home town Sedhiou. This week he scored a three-year partnership with aid charity Human Appeal to deliver clean water and agriculture.
He said: “I always thought, if I have money, I can’t keep it for myself. I am lucky, I have food, healthy kids, others have nothing. It comes from my heart, gives me pleasure and makes me feel free. I spent 15 days a year as a player visiting Senegal and distributing money to projects.
“I have an iPad full of videos, people smiling. I love to help. It was all private, just for me to feel good inside and because I always ask: ‘Why me?’”
Why Cisse? Hard work, quick off the mark and a ruthless finish made him a big hit on Tyneside, with a goal streak similar to the one Alexander Isak is on this season.
It was 12 years on Thursday since his Chelsea goal – hitting the top right corner with a huge left-to-right swerve – that he describes as his “passport” around the world. He said: “I didn’t aim the ball to go there. I just think it was my night. I didn’t know it would go in. Just somewhere close. I thought: ‘Oh my.’ It is like my passport around the world. Everywhere I go people say ‘How?’ I say, honestly, I don’t know.”
Cisse netted 37 goals in 117 appearances for United after signing from Freiburg for £9m, and went on to play in China.
He said: “I am so proud of Newcastle. To wear No.9 was amazing. The man who wears it is another level, like Alan Shearer. I didn’t score 100 goals but I got some amazing goals.”
Cisse also paid tribute to his Toon team-mate Cheick Tiote, who died in 2017 aged just 30, after collapsing during training with his club in Beijing.
“Tiote was my brother,” said Cisse. “We were so close. I loved this guy.
“I owe it to him to explain what a good person he was. Amazing, cool guy. Yes, crazy on the pitch, but outside a different person.”