Liverpool midfielder chased burglars in lift after theft of Champions League medal
Florent Sinama-Pongolle had his Champions League medal stolen after the 2005 Istanbul final but, thanks to Momo Sissoko, can see the funny side
Mohamed Sissoko is seen prior to the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Semi Final between Deportivo Saprissa and Liverpool at the International Stadium Yokohama on December 15, 2005
Mohamed Sissoko is seen prior to the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Semi Final between Deportivo Saprissa and Liverpool at the International Stadium Yokohama on December 15, 2005
Liverpool's incredible Champions League triumph - the 'Miracle of Istanbul' - was marred when a number of players had their winners medals stolen, but one ex-Red is still able to laugh about how it unfolded.
Florent Sinama-Pongolle was among several players to have their medals taken in a co-ordinated attack while away on international duty. The Frenchman did not play in the final but scored a crucial goal against Olympiakos that helped the Reds escape the group stage and go on to create history in Turkey back in 2005.
But despite his anger at thieves for breaking into his own property, the Gerard Houllier signing has recalled the efforts teammate Momo Sissoko made to try and stop the gang from making a getaway.
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at the launch of their 5-A-Side Bet on the FA Cup Final, Sinama-Pongolle revealed what happened. He said: "My Champions League medal, along with my miniature replica trophy - given to me by UEFA - was stolen one day while I was on international duty. It was taken from my flat by a gang from Liverpool who targeted five or six of us who were all away with our national team at the time. I mean, what are you going to do with that medal after you've stolen it? I don't know. You can't do anything with it.
"There's a funny story attached to mine being taken, though. I'm a positive person and I really believe you've got to try and see the funny side in moments like this. I left the keys to my flat with Momo (Mohamed) Sissoko, who was living in the same building as me. This is a real story, I promise. Momo and one of my other friends were collecting some DVDs from my flat - I had this big collection which came over from France - you know when you could only play certain DVDs in certain regions? Well Momo and one of my other friends were heading to my flat to pick out something to watch and they saw that my front door was open.
"When they pushed the door further open, they're facing the guys that were robbing my flat! So Momo is scrambling around looking for something to protect himself with before heading towards these guys... but they start running away. And I swear to God, this happened... They sprint out of my flat, and because I was on the top floor, they had to run down all of these flights of stairs. Momo, behind them and chasing after them, he calls the lift!
"Oh my God... when my other friend told me this, I could not stop laughing. Could you imagine this? So Momo Sissoko, a Premier League footballer, sees some guys in my flat and, while they're running out the door and down the stairs, he's waiting for the lift doors to open?! Of course they were long gone by the time Momo got down to the ground floor.
"Look, it's not a nice story at first, when you hear that something like this has happened to you, then above everything else I was just happy that my friends didn't get injured. But then they told me this story and I was just laughing so much. Obviously these guys are long gone by the time he finally gets out of the lift - my God, it's a true story which still makes me laugh when I think about it now."
Sinama-Pongolle joined Liverpool from French club Le Havre at the age of just 17. He made 38 appearances for the Reds, scoring four goals before moving on in 2006. Sissoko arrived at Anfield from Valencia a few months after the Champions League triumph in 2005 and went on to be an important member of Rafa Benitez' Liverpool midfield alongside Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano.
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