Once upon a time, Moussa Sissoko was lining up in the Champions League final, looking to make history with Tottenham Hotspur.Now, he’s facing the prospect of an entire season on the sidelines, without a minute of action.So, what happened to the Frenchman who bounced back from a rough start to forge a legacy as a cult hero in N17? Here’s everything you need to know about his story since leaving Spurs.Moussa Sissoko enjoyed a redemption arch at Tottenham“It’s with Pochettino that I learned the most,” said Moussa Sissoko, back in 2023, when looking back at his career through his coaches.Sissoko was a blockbuster £30 million signing from Newcastle on deadline day of the 2016 summer transfer window, and went on to make over 200 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring five goals along the way.Arriving, there were expectations given the price tag, as well as the fact he’d had an impressive Euro 2016. Sissoko, however, struggled to really live up to them. “Football is not about money,” said Pochettino. “You need to show on the training ground you are better than another team-mate and you deserve to be involved.”Throwing down the gauntlet, he suggested Sissoko needed to work hard and show in the future that he deserved to be involved in the team.That’s exactly what happened, though.From only five starts by late November in his first season, the 2017/18 campaign brought 47 appearances across all competitions. Pochettino had found a place for him. Sissoko had proven he deserved it.Photo by Clive Rose/Getty ImagesMoussa Sissoko found a new home with the HornetsSissoko was part of the Spurs side that lined up against Liverpool for the 2019 Champions League Final. He was also very influential, with an early handball handing the Reds a penalty.With Liverpool going on to win 2-0, the Frenchman took the moment hard. “I was hiding in my room,” he told L’Equipe. “It was very hard to get over it; losing in the ifnal was painful. Even during my vacation, I was still thinking about it—and in some ways, I still am now. I can say it easily took me a month to feel better about it”Still, while a gutting result for all of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion, it did not taint Sissoko’s status as a cult hero. For the next two seasons he remained a valued member of the squad, before heading for pastures new for the 2021/22 season, when heading to Watford.After signing for Spurs for £30 million, he left for just £3 million, but Watford were certain they were getting a real asset. “He is a very good player and I think he would be very good for us,” said Watford boss, Xisco Munoz. And so it proved, with Sissoko a regular for the Hornets.But they were still relegated.“In my head, I couldn’t see myself playing in the Championship,” said Sissoko, when joining Nantes a few months later. “I wanted to be at the highest level again.”Rather than stick around and try to push Watford back to the Premier League, Sissoko jumped at the chance to return home to France. He proved, once more, that he belonged too, proving to be a regular over the next two seasons in Ligue 1, before actually going back to Watford for a second spell.Why did Moussa Sissoko return to Watford?Sissoko declared there was unfinished business when making his return to Watford who were, ironically, in the Championship.Going back to the Hornets, he would be playing under Tom Cleverley, who he had played alongside during that previous lone season that ended in relegation. “He’s going to be a key part of the squad this year,” said his new coach. “He was our best player by a stretch the last time he was here. Even though it wasn’t a successful season for the club, he was one of the positives to come out of it.”Sissoko was focused on mentoring some of the younger players around him too and over the next 18 months, proved himself to be a very solid addition. In that first season back at Vicarage Road, Sissoko was a regular as Watford started well, finding themselves in the top six at the halfway point, but they were unable to maintain it and slumped to a midtable finish.Cleverley was let go in the summer, leading Watford, in trademark Watford fashion, to eat through three managers the following season. Sissoko was there for two of them, before leaving for Panathinaikos for a modest fee at the end of the January transfer window.A Greek tragedy for SissokoBack in 2016, Rafa Benitez made Moussa Sissoko Newcastle captain as they looked to fight their way to Premier League survival. While, ultimately, they dropped down to the Championship, the latest move in his career saw him reunite with the Spaniard in Greece.Benitez had been the driving force behind a move to bring Sissoko to Panathanaikos so, on paper, it seemed as with Watford there was some logic to it. But it’s been more of a Greek tragedy, than a fable of a footballer still proving himself at the highest level deep into his 30s.After just a handful of appearances, injury curtailed Sissoko’s first season. Benitez then left, replaced with Jacob Neestrup. He was not included in the squad for this season’s Conference League campaign, and is simply not part of Neestrup’s plans.But he’s stuck.Discussions around terminating his contract led nowhere. A potential move to Panionios failed to come to fruition. He’s still training but after so many seasons of refusing to let his career wind down, it looks as if now the decision has been taken out of his hands. READ MORE: ‘Only fond memories’ – Midfielder posts classy tribute after leaving Tottenham – Spurs WebThe post What happened to Moussa Sissoko after Tottenham? Champions League final handball to a Greek tragedy appeared first on Spurs Web.