Djibril Cissé facing Edmilson during Auxerre – OL (Photo by CYRIL VILLEMAIN / AFP)
Among the best attackers in the French championship in the 2000s, Djibril Cissé was never crowned French champion. Blame it on OL’s domination.
On May 19, Lyon supporters invaded the pitch at Parc OL after the victory against Strasbourg (2-1). At the end of an improbable season in every way, the Rhone team managed to secure a European place by finishing sixth. A real miracle, but this invasion of the pitch is light years away from what we could see at Gerland.
In 2024, a European qualification is celebrated – rightly so – when in the 2000s, it is above all the celebration of a title of theOL which punctuated the last day of the championship. Attacker ofAuxerre and theABOUTDjibril Cisse remembers it well or rather learned it to his cost. “My biggest regret is not having won the French championship with the quality that we had with Auxerre then OM, the former striker confessed on the League website. There was OL which dominated Ligue 1 with seven consecutive titles. So it’s a regret.”
“They never missed each other…”
Considered one of the best strikers in the French championship in the 2000s, Cissé fought a few long-distance battles with Sonny Anderson in particular. But collectively, he never managed to match the Lyon team. The domination of theOL was total and disgusted more than one, starting with Djibril Cisse. “It was really hard to play, because they were complete, from the goalkeeper to the striker. They missed very few matches. They almost never missed a match… Which ended with big gaps and a series of titles. Only OL and the current PSG could do that.”
It is often said that the best compliments come from opponents and the words of the 96-goal scorer are proof of this.
