Ousseynou Cissé

Ousseynou Cissé (born 7 April 1991) is a professional footballer who most recently played for National League club Ebbsfleet United. Born in France, he plays for the Mali national team.

Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also play as a central defender.

Early life
Cissé was born in Suresnes, France to a Malian father and a Senegalese mother.

Amiens
Cissé joined Amiens' youth academy in 2007 aged 16, after a spell with Paris Saint-Germain. He made his senior debuts in 2009, appearing with the side in Championnat National.

On 5 August 2011 Cissé played his first match as a professional, starting in a 0–1 away loss against Stade de Reims for the Ligue 2 championship. He appeared in 19 matches during the campaign, as his side was relegated as dead last.

Dijon
On 19 July 2012, Cissé signed a two-year deal with Dijon, also in the second division. On 7 March 2014 he scored his first professional goal, scoring the second in a 2–2 draw with AJ Auxerre.

Rayo Vallecano
On 4 July 2015 Cissé moved abroad for the first time in his career, after agreeing to a three-year contract with La Liga side Rayo Vallecano. Following limited first team opportunities, Cissé joined Belgian side Waasland-Beveren in January 2016 on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season, making twelve appearances for the club and scoring once.

Tours
On 15 July 2016, after reaching an agreement with Rayo Vallecano to terminate his contract, Cissé joined Ligue 2 club Tours FC. Over the following season, Cissé made a total of 26 appearances in all competitions, and scoring once before being released by the club.

Milton Keynes Dons
On 29 June 2017, Cissé joined English League One club Milton Keynes Dons on a two-year deal. On 6 January 2018, Cissé scored his first goal for the club, the winning goal in a 0–1, third round FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers. On 11 August 2018, Cissé scored his first league goal, a 90th-minute winner, in a 1–0 home victory over Bury. After two seasons in which he made 68 appearances in all competitions and scored 3 goals, Cissé announced on 11 May 2019 he would be leaving the club at the end of the 2018–19 season.

Gillingham
On 24 June 2019, Cissé joined League One club Gillingham on a free transfer effective from 1 July 2019. He made his debut for the club in their opening fixture of the 2019–20 season, a 1–1 draw away to Doncaster Rovers. He scored his first and only goal for the club in the next league fixture as they were defeated 1–2 at home to Burton Albion.

He signed for League Two side Leyton Orient on a six-month loan deal on 17 January 2020 and remained with the club until the curtailment of the season due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

He was released by Gillingham at the conclusion of the 2019–20 season, having only made 5 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Leyton Orient
On 16 July 2020, Cissé joined Leyton Orient on a permanent basis, signing a two-year contract.

Oldham Athletic
On 7 August 2021, Cissé departed Leyton Orient by mutual agreement, joining Oldham Athletic on a one-year contract. Oldham confirmed at the end of the season that they would not be offering Cissé a new contract and he would be leaving the club.

Eastleigh
On 27 June 2022, Cissé agreed to join National League club Eastleigh following his departure from Oldham. He was released after one season at the club.

Ebbsfleet United
On 26 June 2023, Cissé signed for newly promoted National League club Ebbsfleet United.

International career
Cissé was called up by Mali national team manager Alain Giresse for a friendly against Libya and a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against South Sudan. He made his international debut on 6 June 2015, in a 2–2 draw against the former.

Honours
Amiens
 * Championnat National runner-up: 2010–11

Milton Keynes Dons
 * EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2018–19