Things to Know:
Born in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France, Sissoko was eligible to play for the French national football team but opted to play international football for his ancestral country, Mali. Sissoko obtained his first international call-up in 2004, and has appeared for his country in almost all African Cup of Nations qualifiers and tournaments since then. He has also featured in FIFA World Cup qualifiers for both 2006 and 2010. Sissoko has made 34 official appearances for Mali, and has scored 2 goals. With the Mali national football team, he finished fourth in the 2004 African Cup of Nations, and third in the 2013 African Cup of Nations.