Euro 2016: 'Immigrant' players in France's squad

#7 Moussa Sissoko – Mali

The ‘Boring’ Sissoko: France’s James Milner?

The eldest of four children, Moussa Sissoko was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis to Malian parents. His father is a construction worker, his mother a housewife who looked after Sissoko and his three younger sisters. At the age of 13, Sissoko left and travelled more than 600 kilometres south to accept a place in Toulouse’s Academy.

Capped by France at every level since Under-16, he broke into Toulouse’s first team at 18 and quickly became their star player. Despite concrete interest from several clubs from England during the January window of 2013, including the likes of Tottenham and Everton, Sissoko had his heart set on joining Newcastle and would not be swayed.

Having made his international debut way back in 2009, Sissoko failed to cement a place in the France squad. It was not until the 2014 World Cup that Sissoko managed to turnaround his fortunes with a string of fine showings in Brazil.

Despite the Toons having been relegated from the Premier League, Sissoko has been arguably their best player from the seasons gone by and it is no surprise that his name is once again being speculated with a transfer to the likes of Liverpool and Spurs amongst other clubs.