Sessègnon playing for Sunderland in a match against Arsenal |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stéphane Sessègnon | ||
| Date of birth | 1 June 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Allahé, Benin | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Requins de l'Atlantique | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2004 | Requins de l'Atlantique | 2 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Créteil | 68 | (10) |
| 2006–2008 | Le Mans | 61 | (6) |
| 2008–2011 | Paris Saint-Germain | 77 | (8) |
| 2011– | Sunderland | 34 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004– | Benin | 37 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Stéphane Sessègnon (born 1 June 1984) is a Beninese footballer who plays for English club Sunderland in the Premier League. He is a Benin international having starred for the nation at both the 2008 and 2010 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. Sessègnon plays a variety of positions in the midfield, most notably as a playmaker.[2]
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Sessègnon began his career with Benin Premier League side Requins de l'Atlantique, which means the Sharks of the Atlantic, in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. After spending only a year in the club's senior team, he ventured to France joining US Créteil-Lusitanos, based in the Parisian suburbs. Sessègnon quickly integrated into the squad, which included fellow international Noel Seka, making his debut on the opening match day of the 2004–05 Ligue 2 season against Stade Reims appearing as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat.[3] He scored his first goal on 14 January 2005, scoring a brace, in a span of four minutes, in a 3–0 win over Gueugnon.[4] Though Créteil finished in 15th position, Sessègnon was labeled a revelation as he was the primary bright spot in helping the club escape relegation.[5]
The following season proved even better for the club, as well as Sessègnon. Créteil finished the season in 8th position, their highest finish ever in Ligue 2, and Sessègnon appeared in 33 league matches scoring 5 goals. In total, the player appeared in 68 league matches scoring 10 goals for Créteil.
With Sessègnon keen on a move to Ligue 1, on 19 May 2006, he signed with Le Mans agreeing to a three-year deal.[6] He made his debut for the club in a league match against Troyes appearing as a substitute in a 2–2 draw.[7] After featuring as a sub in his first five appearances, including receiving a straight red card in a match against Sedan, he earned his first start on 4 November 2006 against Auxerre.[8][9] Two weeks later, he scored his first career goal for Le Mans in a 1–1 draw with Rennes.[10] These positive performances resulted in Sessègnon cementing his place in the first 11 starting every following match that season, except one.
Though utilized with Le Mans early on as a holding midfielder, Sessègnon was given a more advanced role for the 2007–08 season, often starting on the right side of the midfield or as an attacker. This proved beneficial for Sessègnon and the club as the new role displayed his versatility, which showed when he scored both goals in the club's 3–2 defeat to giants Olympique Lyonnais on 1 September 2007.[11] He scored again the following week in a 1–0 victory over Valenciennes.[12] Sessègnon also helped the club reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue that season where they lost to Lens in a thrilling 5–4 defeat in extra time. Sessègnon played the entire 120 minutes.[13]
Due to his two impressive seasons with Le Mans, Sessègnon became the subject of several scouting missions by larger clubs. He drew interest from Premier League sides Arsenal[14] and Newcastle United before opting to remain in France signing a four-year deal with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain.[15][16][17] The fee was said to be in the range of €8 to 10 million.[18] Sessègnon was giving the number 10 shirt and installed as the team's playmaker.
Sessegnon made his league debut with the club on 16 August 2008, starting in the club's 1–0 win against Bordeaux.[19] The following match day, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Sochaux.[20] On 13 December 2008, Sessègnon scored his third career brace against Auxerre in a 2–1 victory.[21] For his positive performances, he was named the UNFP Player of the Month for December.[22] Sessègnon also appeared in 9 matches in the UEFA Cup scoring one goal against Dutch club Twente.[23] During the season, Sessègnon formed a dazzling triangular partnership with captain and holding midfielder Claude Makélélé and centre midfielder Jérémy Clément, which contributed to the club going as high as 2nd position in the league, reaching the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals, and making it to the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. In total, Sessègnon made 49 appearances scoring 8 goals and also compiling 11 assists. For his efforts, he was nominated for the Player of the Year award and also named to the Team of the Year. The season effectively validated Sessègnon as a star player.
After the season, several clubs contacted Paris Saint-Germain to discuss Sessègnon's availability on the transfer market with Premier League clubs Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, and Manchester City[24] being the primary suitors.[25][26][27][28] Following the overwhelming interest, on 23 June, Sessègnon went public demanding his parent club give him a pay raise, stating, "I think I am one of the best performers in the club."[29] The firing of manager Paul Le Guen also played a role in his demands. Two weeks later, Sessègnon and the club reached an agreement on a contract extension with the player set to receive a substantial pay raise.[30]
In the 2010–11 season, Sessègnon struggled to make an impact with the first team after being relegated to a substitute's role by manager Antoine Kombouaré. The friction between the player and manager reached its zenith in December 2010 when Sessègnon accused Kombouaré of insulting him during a one-on-one interview ahead of the team's match against Nancy on 19 December.[31] Sessègnon, subsequently, confirmed his desire to leave the club in the January window and, as a sign of his intent, refused to join Paris Saint-Germain on its winter training camp in Morocco.[32]
On 29 January 2011, Sessègnon departed Paris Saint-Germain to join English club Sunderland.[33] He signed a three-and-a-half year contract and the transfer fee was priced at £6 million,[34] and made his debut on 1 February against Chelsea.[35] He made his second start for the Black Cats in 3–2 away loss against Stoke City on 5 February 2011.[36] His first real successful moment as a Sunderland player after a disappointing start came on 23 April, where he scored his first goal for the club in the 4–2 win over Wigan Athletic. He converted a penalty of his own making in the 73rd minute, beating Ali Al Habsi after being tripped by Antolin Alcaraz. Sessègnon had been forced to play in an unfamiliar role as a lone striker, after injuries to strikers Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan during the game.[37] He started Sunderland's next fixture at home to Fulham in the same lone forward role, with both forwards injured until the end of the season. Sessègnon has also been credited for his performance against Bolton Wanderers playing as a lone striker and creating two goals, one of them for Boudewijn Zenden, who said, "Stéphane did really well – he's a little piece of dynamite and he dealt really well with what Bolton threw at him". Sessegnon scored in Sunderland's home defeat against Wolves,[38] and again in the final game of the season, a 3–0 win at West Ham.[39]
In his second season at Sunderland, he scored his opening of the season against Bolton on 22 October 2011. Sessegnon followed this up with an 89th minute equaliser against Aston Villa a week later, also providing an assist and winning man of the match.[40] Sessegnon scored Sunderland's second goal in their 3-2 victory at QPR on December 21st. On New Year's Day 2012, Sessegnon assisted Ji Dong-Won's stoppage time winner against Manchester City. Two days later, he scored Sunderland's third goal in their 4-1 win at Wigan.
Sessègnon made his debut for Benin on 6 June 2004 in a 2006 World Cup qualification match against Cameroon starting in the team's 2–1 loss.[41] He appeared in the majority of the qualification matches, where Benin ultimately suffered elimination. He was a member of Benin squad that reached the 2008 African Cup of Nations, where the nation was eliminated in the group stage. During 2010 World Cup qualifying, Sessègnon scored his only goal of the campaign in the team's 4–1 romp over minnows Uganda. Benin reached the third round of qualifying finishing in a respectable second in their group, five points behind Ghana and ahead of contenders Mali. As a result of their second place finish, Benin qualified for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team failed to get out of the group stage for the second straight competition. Sessègnon scored his last goal for his nation in the team's 1–0 victory over Libya on 7 January 2010. In 7 February 2010 a local sports magazine chose him the best player of Benin's history.
Upon signing for Sunderland, manager Steve Bruce described Sessègnon as a player who "can play on the left, on the right, through the middle – he's lightning quick and he's a match-winner". Bruce also went on to say "Stéphane's a little powerhouse with a small centre of gravity, some great dribbling skills and a good shot."[42]
(Correct as of 01 Jan 2012)
| Club | Season | League | Cup[nb 1] | Europe[nb 2] | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Requins de l'Atlantique | 2003–04 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| US Créteil | 2004–05 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 4 |
| 2005–06 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 | 2 | |
| Total | 68 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 10 | 6 | |
| Le Mans | 2006–07 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 2 |
| 2007–08 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 61 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 6 | 6 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2008–09 | 34 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 7 | 11 |
| 2009–10 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 5 | |
| 2010–11 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 77 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 103 | 10 | 18 | |
| Sunderland A.F.C | 2010–11 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| 2011–12 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 5 | |
| Total | 33 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | 7 | |
| Career totals | 241 | 30 | 30 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 275 | 32 | 37 | |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 2005 | Arab Contractors Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | Egypt | 1 – 2 | 1 – 4 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 June 2007 | Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin | Togo | 3 – 0 | 4 – 1 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 8 June 2008 | Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin | Uganda | 4 – 1 | 4 – 1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 7 January 2010 | Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin | Libya | 1 – 0 | 1 – 0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 9 October 2010 | Stade Amahoro, Kigali, Rwanda | Rwanda | 3 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 5 June 2011 | Stade de l'Amitie, Cotonou, Benin | Côte d'Ivoire |
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2 – 6 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
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