2 weeks ago
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Liverpool fans were treated to an unexpected delight this week when a viral video surfaced showing their ex-player, Florent Sinama Pongolle, executing a remarkable shot in the niche world of professional footgolf.
It appears he's not the only Liverpool cult figure to have transferred his football skills to a different pitch altogether. Sinama Pongolle netted nine times in 65 appearances for Liverpool after being snapped up from France as a promising youngster.
Now aged 40, the striker was part of the squad that clinched the Champions League in 2005, with Rafa Benitez orchestrating an unforgettable turnaround to defeat AC Milan despite a 3-0 deficit at the interval. Following his time at Anfield, Sinama Pongolle had stints with clubs like Atletico Madrid and Saint-Etienne, and even played briefly in Thailand before retiring in 2019.
Not long after hanging up his boots, he laced them up again to delve into the realm of professional footgolf.
Earlier this week, Sinama Pongolle took to Instagram to share a clip of himself sinking an impressive shot from off the green at Golf De Saint Donat on the French Riviera.
But Sinama Pongolle isn't alone in his new sporting passion; he disclosed that Anthony Le Tallec, another ex-Reds youngster, is also keen on the sport.
"There are many [footballers] who come to try it," Sinama Pongolle revealed to L'Union.
"After me, there is Ludovic Obraniak, who has practiced a lot, and Camel Meriem, who is the one who has been practicing the most since he started.
"We also find Anthony Le Tallec who I got started. There were other ambassadors like Sylvain Wiltord, Jean-Pierre Papin or Youri Djorkaeff, who have already been part of the thing."
Sinama Pongolle and Le Tallec, cousins who've been inseparable since their youth, have come together once again at HAC Footgolf.
The club, nestled in the French city of Le Havre, is where both honed their skills as promising young footballers within its renowned academy.
Le Tallec boasts a Champions League winner's medal from Liverpool's storied night in Istanbul, even though he was loaned out for part of that season.
The French striker bid farewell to Anfield in 2008 after a six-year stint and wrapped up his playing career with tenures in Romania and Greece, alongside periods back in France.
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