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Djibril Cisse has recalled how Real Madrid and Barcelona were both interested in him when he made the decision to join Liverpool in 2004.
Cisse was a highly regarded young striker for Marseille when the Reds moved to sign him 21 years ago, ahead of the departure of Michael Owen to Real Madrid.
Cisse claims that Madrid wanted him too, but he said that Liverpool's manager at the time, Gerard Houllier, ultimately convinced him to move to Anfield.
"Barcelona and Real Madrid both wanted to sign me the year I joined Liverpool," Cisse exclusively told Ladbrokes. "There were a lot of clubs that wanted me, but Barcelona, Madrid, and Liverpool were the only ones I knew of.
"The rest, my agent was dealing with, because I was the kind of guy who wanted to focus on the pitch. What happened off it wasn’t really my business.
"I chose Liverpool because of, first, Gerard Houllier. He made it feel like it was a safe place to go but also a safe place with a massive history. It was a massive club for me to improve my football and to become the player I wanted to be.
"Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush... they were strikers I watched when I was a kid, so it was an honour and a pleasure for me to walk in their footsteps.
"And I'm a man of my word. I gave my word to Liverpool a year before I actually signed for the club; in my last season with Auxerre, I had already told Liverpool I would join them.
"Nothing was signed, no contract or anything, but I had a really good feeling about Gerard Houllier. So, in my mind, it was Liverpool and nothing else, even if nothing was signed.
"Obviously, I then knew about the interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid as well, but when I give my word, I give my word!"
Cisse scored 26 goals in 82 appearances, and ultimately did not quite deliver on expectations at Anfield, but there is of course the caveat that he suffered a horrific leg break just months after joining the club.
The 44-year-old, however, somehow managed to put a positive spin on the injury as he claimed he viewed it as a sacrifice that helped Liverpool to win the Champions League that season.
“My teammates, and the people of Liverpool, all made it really easy for me to settle in the city, to be honest," he said. "Obviously, the hardest time I faced was when I broke my leg at Blackburn.
"But, as I said, I had really good people around me to help me through that time. I always say that injury was my sacrifice... I gave my leg to win the Champions League for Liverpool!"
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