Djibril Cissé

Speed was the first thing defenders noticed about Djibril Cissé, usually a little too late. Before injuries broke the rhythm of his career, he was one of Europe’s most explosive strikers: direct, aggressive, terrifying in space and capable of turning a simple through ball into a chase nobody wanted to enter. At Auxerre he looked like a force of nature, raw but devastating, winning scoring titles and earning a move to Liverpool. The broken legs changed the story, yet not the personality; he came back, scored important goals and kept playing with the same dramatic edge. His technique could be blunt and his decision making uneven, but his pace, shot power and instinct for vertical football were serious weapons. Cissé was not a refined striker, he was acceleration with a finish attached, and sometimes that was more than enough.