Djibril Cisse gives Liverpool v Madrid prediction, claims Miracle of Istanbul was better than United’s 1999 win and gives insight into shocking leg break
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Djibril Cisse gives an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone about his memories of winning the Champions League on that famous night in Istanbul in 2005 and has high hopes for tonight’s clash with Real Madrid.
Liverpool v Real Madrid score prediction
Liverpool have a special relationship with the Champions League; it doesn’t matter who they’re playing. In this case it’s the cup holders which adds a special flavour to the tie. But I see Liverpool winning 2-0 or 2-1.
"Our responsibility is to use this opportunity as best we can in the knowledge that this time, Anfield will be with us." ❤️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 21, 2023
The fact they are playing at home first means tonight’s game is really, really important. They have to take something to Madrid with them, and hopefully that’s a win, otherwise things could get really complicated. Real Madrid play really well at home, and the way things have worked out means that things are just a little bit easier for the team playing the second leg at home. But Liverpool have more than enough in their squad to beat Real Madrid, I’m confident of that – especially with the backing of the Anfield support tonight.
Our comeback v AC Milan is better than Man United’s v Bayern
The Man United v Bayern Munich game in 1999 was unbelievable, of course. But it all happened so quickly, late on in the game. We were three goals down against that AC Milan side inside 45 minutes.
We went in with this feeling that we were in for a really strong second half, and all of a sudden you’re thinking about what happens if they score the next goal, then it’s four, then it’s five, then you’re six goals down in a Champions League final. I think that because of the way we came out and responded, against that side, and the manner in which we went on to go and win the game… I think our comeback was better.
I have no problem watching clips of my leg breaking
October 30th, 2004 was the day I broke my leg. The doctor came to me and said “Djib, I think your season is over. This is a really bad injury…blah blah blah”.
I said: “No, Doc. I’m going to Ibiza on holiday. I’m going to come back and I’m going to play again before the end of the season.”
I don’t know why I said that, I don’t know what made me say it, I just knew my season wasn’t over. I knew, minutes after the injury, that’d I’d be playing again. Not days, or hours. Minutes.
When something like that happens to you, at that stage in your career, you have two choices: you fight, or you die. There’s no middle ground; I don’t want to be an average player. I want to be the Djibril I was or better, or I quit. But quitting isn’t in my DNA. I’m a fighter and I’ll fight with all I’ve got.
Luckily, I was surrounded by great medical staff at Liverpool and in France, and an understanding manager in Rafa Benitez. He was really, really smart and so nice with me. There were times I would see the guys training and I was sad. I was down because I couldn’t contribute. He’d pull me to the side and tell me to go back home to France, to see my family. He knew it would do me good, and it did. It helped me so much, and luckily that sort of treatment made the whole recovery stage go really quickly.
You can look up ‘Djibril Cisse breaks leg’ on YouTube and find a video that’s been viewed nearly four million times. I’m responsible for a few of those views! It doesn’t really affect me in that way, watching it back. I don’t like seeing other players getting injured, that’s really painful for me. But those injuries are me, they’re a part of my history. It hurts my girlfriend, it hurts my mum, it hurts my kids, but to be honest, I have no problem watching it!
It’s still difficult for me to understand the Miracle of Istanbul
Five-and-a-half months later, I made my comeback against Juventus and, of course, went on to have one of the greatest experiences of my career.
To be honest, I still have moments now where I can’t believe what happened to me during that season. It’s difficult for me to understand. It’s the sort of thing you see in movies. Whenever football fans meet me, they want to talk about that night in Istanbul.
They [AC Milan] had the talent: Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, but we were Liverpool, and we had that fighting spirit and heart. Stevie [Steven Gerrard] played unbelievably, and he was the main guy, but it wasn’t just him. We were all fighters on that night, the supporters included. It really was the complete team performance.
People remember the bad start, the second-half comeback and Jerzy Dudek’s heroics in the penalty shootout. But my story from that night is quite different. I’d missed so much of the season with a broken leg. Six months before that night I was on crutches, and doubting whether or not I was going to play high-level football again. For me to step forward on that night and take a penalty, there was zero, zero pressure.
I felt like I was playing against my friends. It’s funny, because I say this to my friends, who all tell me I’m only saying it retrospectively, but it’s true. I didn’t feel pressure, I didn’t feel nervous. It was the Miracle of Istanbul, that’s what people were calling it, but my miracle was being there. Nobody would have put a single pound on me making that squad when I was stretchered off with a broken leg against Blackburn six months prior.
And – on top of this – they missed their first two penalties before I stepped up for our third. So what can happen? Even if I missed, what could happen? I just went up and did what I knew I could do. I don’t want to say I’m a penalty specialist, but I didn’t miss many in my career.
Dida is a big guy, he covers a lot of space, but I knew I wasn’t going to miss. After everything that happened in that season, on a personal level for me… I just couldn’t miss, and I knew it. It was impossible to miss.
25.5.2005
17 ans déjà @LFC pic.twitter.com/d1RKMl9FXA— Djibril Cisse (@DjibrilCisse) May 25, 2022
You take that walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot, and you’re not thinking about the millions of eyes that are on you. I was just focused on what I was doing, for myself and for my family. Of course, I know now exactly how many people were watching that game, that moment in history – but in that moment, it didn’t matter. It was about my team, my family and myself.
It was really emotional being back with my family after we won that game, just because of what we’d all been through in that season. The season was a nightmare for me, for the most part, but either side of my injury there were so many positives. I arrived as a record signing and scored on my debut, everything was perfect. Nothing was going wrong for me, and then I broke my leg.
Straight after the game, we had dinner back at the hotel. But we were so disconnected, I think we were just in shock with what had just happened. We were confused, to be honest. It wasn’t anything crazy. It was dinner, a few photos with the cup, and then I went to bed! A lot of guys did the same, because we were all in shock.
And then, the morning after, we went down for breakfast and posed for photos as a team before getting on the plane and flying back to England. Half the team were sleeping, the rest were singing and dancing.
I ended up half-naked while Evertonians celebrated our Champions League win
As soon as we landed in Liverpool, though, that was it. Let’s get the party started! We headed to Melwood and it was just amazing, that bus tour. Even Evertonians were out in the street cheering for us. It was a mad, mad night. I ended up half-naked if I remember right… I threw everything off the bus!
I couldn’t go too crazy though because I was with the international team a few days later!
It was nice, and it’s a memory that will stay with me forever, of course. But it wasn’t too crazy. We weren’t that kind of group to be flashy or arrogant. It was intimate, just the guys celebrating together, enjoying it with the supporters. Look, it’s 18 years later on and we’re still talking about it, so we know full well that we achieved something really, really special.
We got to Melwood to get changed for the tour, and none of us could have imagined how long that journey – which was usually a 25-minute drive – would take us. By the time we got to the city centre, it was dark outside! It took us so long, but it was really, really amazing. Knowing that you’ve made all of these people so happy, it was such a good feeling.
