Papiss Cissé Scores Six Goals in Sunday League After Comical Penalty Miss
Former Premier League striker Papiss Cissé turned heads with a chaotic yet entertaining performance for his Sunday league side, Wythenshawe Vets.
Cissé’s afternoon started in bizarre fashion when he missed a penalty and saw his rebound saved by the goalkeeper. Laughing off his misfortune, he trotted over to take the resulting corner, only to send the ball straight out of play.
But the 40-year-old quickly made up for it. In the second half, he found his rhythm and scored six goals as Wythenshawe Vets stormed to an 11-0 victory over South Liverpool.
Cissé is not the only familiar face in the Cheshire Vets Premier Division. His Wythenshawe Vets team includes nine former Premier League players: George Boyd, Emile Heskey, Stephen Ireland, Nedum Onuoha, Danny Drinkwater, Maynor Figueroa, Joleon Lescott, Oumar Niasse, and Cissé himself.
Between them, the squad boasts 1,801 top-flight appearances, 222 Premier League goals, and 325 international caps.
Cissé, best known for his spectacular goals with Newcastle United, has already made a habit of running riot in veteran football. He also scored six goals on his debut for Wythenshawe Vets earlier this season.
Even Lescott, a former Manchester City and England defender, has joined in the fun, scoring a hat trick in one game while playing as a striker.
It was Stephen Ireland, once a key midfielder for Manchester City and the Republic of Ireland, who first joined the team through a friend, Blake Norton. His arrival opened the door for a wave of ex-professionals to lace up their boots again, giving local football fans a nostalgic glimpse of Premier League talent back in action.