FORMER Liverpool star Djibril Cisse has signed for American fourth-tier side Panathinaikos Chicago at the age of 39.
The news came as a surprise to many… as they thought he’d retired.
And Cisse, 39, isn’t the only former Premier League star knocking about in some far-flung corner of the world well into the twilight of his career.
We take a look at a whole TEAM of former top-flight players somehow still lacing up their boots every weekend.
GK – Roy Carroll
Age: 43
Premier League clubs: Man Utd, West Ham
Current club: Dungannon Swifts
THE Northern Irish stopper kicked-off his senior career at Hull in 1995.
Carroll played for six British clubs – including Man Utd, West Ham and Rangers – before moving abroad.
After leaving Derby in 2009, Carroll moved abroad and played for Odense, OFI Crete and Olympiacos before heading to Notts County in 2014.
Two years in the Midlands was followed by a move to Irish side Linfield – before joining FC Mindwell and most-recently Dungannon Swifts earlier this year.
Carroll hit the headlines in recent weeks after he was beaten by a 40-yard header in the defeat to Glentoran.
CB – Steven Taylor
Age: 35
Premier League clubs: Newcastle
Current club: Odisha
THE Newcastle legend spent 21 years at the club, working his way through the youth ranks and into the senior team.
Taylor enjoyed 13 years in the first-team before leaving to join MLS side Portland Timbers in 2016.
He moved back to England with Ipswich in 2017, before moving to Peterborough.
Taylor moved to New Zealand to play for Wellington Phoenix between 2018 and 2020, before joining Indian side Odisha earlier this year.
CB – Martin Skrtel
Age: 36
Premier League clubs: Liverpool
Current club: Free agent
FOR eight years, Reds fans were treated to tattooed, skin-head hardman Skrtel in the heart of their defence.
The Slovakian star quit in 2016 to join Fenerbahce, before a brief stint at Atalanta in 2019.
Now with a full head of hair, Skrtel had been going strong at Istanbul Basaksehir – helping the Turkish champions beat Manchester United in the Champions League earlier this season.
However, he ruptured his Achilles tendon in January and agreed to have his contract cut short six months early and is now a free agent.
CB – Thomas Vermaelen
Age: 35
Premier League clubs: Arsenal
Current club: Vissel Kobe
THE Belgian star spent five years at the Gunners having joined from Ajax in 2009 and formed strong partnerships with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
Vermaelen’s career quickly unravelled due to a spate of injuries at Barcelona, where he played just 34 times in four years.
A failed loan spell at Roma did little to help either, and the centre-back linked up with Andres Iniesta and Lukas Podolski at Vissel Kobe in 2018.
Vermaelen is still there to this day.
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RM – Salomon Kalou
Age: 35
Premier League clubs: Chelsea
Current club: Free agent
KALOU won the Premier League title once in six years at Chelsea – scoring 60 times in 254 games in all competitions.
But he quit in 2012, spending two years at Lille, before moving to Hertha Berlin.
Kalou spent SIX years in the club – and landed himself in hot water last year after singing a tasteless song about coronavirus before barging in on a team-mates medical test – before leaving in the summer.
The Ivory Coast ace joined Brazilian side Botafogo but was released after they were relegated with Kalou scoring just once in 27 games.
CM – Alex Song
Age: 33
Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Charlton, West Ham
Current club: Arta/Solar7
The Cameroonian had been out of action since leaving Swiss minnows FC Sion in March 2020.
Song, 33, was sacked for refusing to take a pay cut in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
But after eight months without a club, the midfielder got back in the game at Arta/Solar7 in Djibouti – where he won the league title earlier this month.
Song also played for Barcelona – the home of his most-embarrassing moment, trying to steal the LaLiga trophy from Carles Puyol when intended for Eric Abidal – during his career.
CM – Nigel De Jong
Age: 36
Premier League clubs: Man City
Current club: Al-Shahania
THESE days, the Dutchman is most-famous for clattering into Xabi Alonso’s chest boot-first in the 2010 World Cup final.,
But before that, ‘The Destroyer’ played for Man City between 2009 and 2012.
He moved on to AC Milan before quitting European football in 2016 with a move to LA Galaxy.
De Jong returned for spells with Galatasaray and Mainz before moving to the Middle East in 2018.
The ex-Holland ace played for Qatari side Al Ahli before joining Al-Shahania in 2019.
CM – Eric Djemba-Djemba
Age: 39
Premier League clubs: Man Utd
Current club: Vallorbe-Ballaigues
ARGUABLY Sir Alex Ferguson’s worst-ever signing, Djemba-Djemba joined Man Utd from Nantes in 2003, lined-up to become Roy Keane’s eventual successor.
He quit two years later – after just 20 underwhelming Premier League appearances – to join Aston Villa… BEFORE Keane left.
The 34-cap Cameroon star moved on to global minnows Qatar SC, OB, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Partizan, St Mirren, Channaiyi, Persebaya Bhayangkara and Chateaubriant.
In 2016, Djemba-Djemba seemingly found his home at Swiss fifth-tier side Vallorbe-Ballaigues – where he still plays at nearly 40 years old.
LM – Nani
Age: 34
Premier League clubs: Man Utd
Current club: Orlando City
NANI joined Man Utd in 2007 from Sporting Lisbon and would spend nearly a decade at the club, making 147 Premier League appearances.
Since leaving, Nani has played for twice more for Sporting, as well as Fenerbahce, Lazio and Valencia.
The 112-cap Portugal winger quit European football in 2019 to head to the MLS – where he has starred for Orlando City ever since, scoring 18 goals in 49 games.
CAM – Maxi Rodriguez
Age: 40
Premier League clubs: Liverpool
Current club: Newell’s Old Boys
SOMEHOW still playing, Rodriguez joined Liverpool arguably in the twilight of his career in 2010, then aged 29.
After two impressive years at Anfield – following his time at Atletico Madrid – Rodriguez returned to Argentina to rejoin youth side Newell’s Old Boys, where he spent five years.
The attacking midfielder spent a season at Uruguayan side Penarol, before heading back to Newell’s Old Boys AGAIN in 2019.
Rodriguez has scored 15 goals in 49 times since his return.
ST – Djibril Cisse
Age: 39
Premier League clubs: Liverpool, Sunderland, QPR
Current club: Panathinaikos Chicago
THE Frenchman joined Liverpool from Auxerre in 2004 for £14m, but struggled with injuries which included a horror leg break.
Cisse also briefly played for Sunderland on loan and QPR in a real journeyman career.
The striker – who helped Liverpool win the 2005 Champions League – has played for Panathinaikos, Lazio Bastia, Al-Gharafa, Kuban Krasnodar, Saint-Pierroise, Yverdon and AC Vicenza 1902.
And it has now been revealed Cisse has officially joined US fourth-tier side Panathinaikos Chicago as he continues to play under the radar.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
