Liverpool face Marseille in the next phase of their Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening, and one former Anfield star has intimate knowledge of both clubs
Tom Sunderland Sports Writer
09:00, 21 Jan 2026
Djibril Cisse is the most successful player to have starred for both Liverpool and Marseille(Image: Liverpool Echo/Colin Lane)
Djibril Cisse may be torn between who to root for when Liverpool travel to Marseille on Wednesday. The Reds return to Champions League action on France’s south coast with a chance to break into Europe’s top eight for an all-important automatic qualifying spot.
A number of stars have pulled on the colours of both Liverpool and Marseille over the years. Mario Balotelli, Fernando Morientes and Alou Diarra are among the more prominent examples, but Cisse perhaps reigns as the most famous to have crossed the English Channel.
The 44-year-old grew up in Arles, only an hour’s drive from Marseille, and was a boyhood fan of Les Olympiens. Most would therefore think he would have been happy to leave Anfield for a move to the Velodrome in 2006, but it wasn’t the case for Cisse.
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Having played an important role in the 2005 Champions League win over AC Milan, he was eager to remain part of Rafa Benitez’s plans. Instead, he joined Marseille in 2006, initially on loan, despite a second leg break in the space of two years, then moved permanently 12 months later following Fernando Torres’ arrival.
“I signed for Liverpool in 2003, before playing one last season at Auxerre,” he told FourFourTwo in 2020. “Then I got badly injured, so I was impatient to make things happen at Anfield. It was a very long wait. I had to acclimatise and get to know people.
“I scored at Tottenham in my first league game under Rafa, but things slowed down for me and it was tough. I had a five-year contract and wanted to see it out, but Rafa had different ideas and eventually signed Torres. That’s football, although I wish I’d been given a bit more time.”
Cisse didn’t want to leave Liverpool, but Rafa Benitez had other plans(Image: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
Cisse, who has gone on coach at both Marseille and Auxerre, scored 24 goals in 79 appearances for Liverpool across his two seasons, though 21 of those came in his second season after recovering from a horrific first leg break. While his time on Merseyside was relatively short, the Frenchman had quickly cultivated a life for him and his family and wasn’t itching to depart.
“There were mixed feelings,” he continued. “I grew up a big Marseille fan, so of course I was excited to join them, but I didn’t want to leave Liverpool.
“By now I had a family, and my kids were settled. As I said, I had waited a long time to make it there. You can’t stand still, though. I was a goalscorer, I was a No. 9, and they can’t sit on the bench; they have to play.”
Cisse has gone on to coach at former clubs Auxerre and Marseille(Image: ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite some initial groans in Marseille, the move eventually worked as he scored a much-improved 37 goals in 80 outings for the Ligue 1 giants. Cisse eventually returned to the Premier League on a season’s loan at Sunderland, then later starred at QPR for two years.
Arne Slot could do with a tenacious presence up front in France following a 1-1 stalemate at home to Burnley on Saturday. Hugo Ekitike played the whole 90 minutes up front but failed to find the back of the net in the absence of Alexander Isak, who is recovering from a leg fracture of his own.
There are doubts as to whether Mohamed Salah will feature against Marseille given he only recently returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. His Egypt side finished fourth behind third-place Nigeria on Saturday, and Wednesday’s matchup may come soon to expect the winger in action.
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Liverpool continue their UEFA Champions League campaign as they face Marseille on January 21. Fans can watch the game on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel.
