Mohamed Lamine Sissoko was born on January 22 1985 in Mont Saint Aignan (France). His mother is called Fatou and his father Mohamed; both have worked for several years in a hotel. He has 14 siblings, two of which play professional football: one at Paris Saint German and the other one at Valencia. He holds a business high school diploma. He has a wife, Sokona, and an enchanting daughter called Aicha.

When he's not busy playing football, he spends a lot of time with his wife and daughter. He loves music and has a passion for R 'n' B (his favourite singer is Usher) and Malian music. He also likes to read and watch movies. His favourite? Gladiator, no question about it.

He's not a very good cook. His wife Sokona and his mother definitely rule in the kitchen. His favourite dish is Tiebe, a traditional dish from Mali, made with rice and beef.

Momo, as he's known around the changing room, almost always chooses to dress casual and sporty, in order to feel at ease and, most of all, comfortable.

He likes to follow different sports. He's really into NBA basketball and his favourite player there is Kobe Bryant.

He began his career in 2002 at AJ Auxerre but he never played during that first season. In 2003, at only 18 years of age, he joined Valencia, managed by Rafael Benitez at the time, who decided to employ him as a midfielder and not as a striker any more. Very soon he became a first team regular and played 45 Spanish League games between 2003 and 2004. In the summer of 2005 Valencia – managed by Claudio Ranieri by then – decided to sell him to Liverpool, managed by his old coach, Benitez. He left his mark in England too, quickly becoming a favourite with the fans thanks to his athletic skills and fighting spirit. His career in the National team began with his debut in the French Under 21, but taking advantage of the new FIFA ruling - allowing players with a double nationality to play with a different National team after beginning with another Under 21 – he opted to play for the Mali national team.

He made his debut on November 19 2003 in a friendly against Morocco and became one of the key players of the side that reached the African Cup semi-finals in 2004.
He has also played at the 2004 Athens summer Olympics with Mali, who were eliminated in the quarter finals by Italy themselves.

His dreams refer both to his career and his private life. In the latter, he hopes to be able to carry through many projects aimed at helping the children of Mali. He would like to build facilities there where the kids could learn football and also get a proper education. As for his professional goals, he only has one thing on his mind: to win a lot and immediately with Juventus.