Cisse's never-ending tour goes Stateside

You could write a book about Djibril Cisse. In fact, it's already been written by the man himself. The title is not something like "My story" or "My life", and it's certainly not plain "Autography". His book is called "A Lion Never Dies". Hardly a surprise. This lion is still going strong and has just announced that he's joining a fourth-division team in the United States of America.

Cisse is 39 years old and has said goodbye to football a few times already. But he still hasn't been able to distance himself from the game that's given him so much. This week it was announced that he'd be joining the amateur club named after the famous Greek team Panathinaikos. Although the announcement didn't stress that the former Champions League winner will be arriving in playing capacity, it's still pleasing to see the eccentric player back on the football pitch.

Djibril Cisse playing against Bafana Bafana in the 2010 World Cup (©AFP)

Djibril Cisse started his professional career in 1998 with AJ Auxerre, a club that sensationally won the league and cup double two years previously. Although not considered one of the top clubs in the country, Auxerre blossomed at this time thanks to a rich vein of talented youngsters who were given a chance to make their name on the big stage.

After winning the national cup with Les Diplomates In 2003, Cisse was transferred to Liverpool as one of Europe's most exciting young attackers. He's won the Champions League in his first season at Anfield after miraculously recovering from a double leg break.

Moves to Olympique de Marseille, Sunderland, Panathinaikos and Lazio would follow between 2006 and 2012. His season-long loan at the Stadium of Light was particularly gripping as the flamboyant forward got a taste of then-manager Roy Keane's temper.

"I remember one game: at half-time, we came in, and I hadn't played great; not that bad, but I hadn't been myself. Roy walked in and went for me. Oh my god, he was screaming at me – really crazy, really loud. I felt like 15 years previously, when I was still a kid at Auxerre. I realised what Roy was doing. He was trying to get me going. So, I lifted my head and smiled. I smiled, knowing what he was doing. Well, Roy just got even angrier. 'What the f**k are you smiling for?!' he shouted. Anyway, after 10 minutes, I scored and sprinted over to him on the touchline. 'Well done, boss,' I said. 'I know what you were doing!' He looked at me like I was mad. But I did love the guy."

Cisse is still worshipped in Athens, where we won both the championship and Greek Cup with Panathinaikos during his two-year spell with the Greens. However, despite having a great relationship with his club's faithful, Cisse couldn't wait to leave Greece because of the racist abuse directed at him in most cities in the country.

"In my second season, the atmosphere in the stands has deteriorated. I have been the victim of monkey chants and racist insults a few times. Even though the Panathinaikos fans were fantastic, even though the club is great, I didn't want to play in that league any more."

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After just six largely uninspiring months at Lazio, it showed that Serie A wasn't quite suited to Frenchman's style.

"I didn't do that well there because it's a different kind of football. It's more tactical, not really my cup of tea."

Cisse arrived to ambitious Queens Park Rangers in January 2012. Only nine goals were to follow in a season and a half as QPR tumbled out of the Premier League. Disciplinary problems, red cards and suspensions rendered his comeback to England a largely forgettable one. And there, at the age of 32, is where Cisse's career started to get a bit strange.

Spells with Kuban Krasnodar in Russia, SC Bastia in France and a short stay at JS Saint-Pierroise in Reunion followed before Cisse announced his retirement from football in October 2015.

Two years later, Djibril was back. He joined Yverdon-Sport FC in Switzerland and scored 24 goals in 29 matches for the third-tier team. Nobody expected him to change countries at that stage of his career, but Cisse was never the one to do what people expected. He signed for lowly Vicenza in Italy at 37, but he never played for the team.

In the meantime, Djibril toured Europe as a DJ, prompting the crowds to remember his name – even those who were never football fans.

The latest chapter will see the 41-time-capped France international start a new adventure for a small team in America. Will it be his last club? Somehow, we wouldn't bet on it.