Djibril Cissé makes a daring “top five” assertion about a former QPR teammate. Taarabt, Adel
The Moroccan winger’s inventiveness and technical skill lit up Loftus Road. He scored 26 goals and provided 32 assists across two Championship seasons, ultimately leading the Hoops to a second-tier championship in 2010–11.
When Taarabt moved up to the Premier League with QPR, his numbers were unsurprisingly less than spectacular, but it appears that his quality was still evident to teammates and supporters alike. Cissé didn’t stay at Loftus Road for long—he joined in January 2012 and left for Qatar a year later to sign a loan deal with Al-Gharafa—but he felt that year was long enough to place Taarabt on par with players like Samir Nasri, Steven Gerrard, and Xabi Alonso in terms of technical skill.
Cissé, a former Champions League and FA Cup champion with Liverpool, was asked about his time at Loftus Road playing with the 2010–11 Championship Player of the Year in an exclusive interview with Football League World. Both were essential to the Hoops’ Premier League survival in 2011–12. After joining in January, Cissé scored six goals in eight games, and Taarabt finished the season with two goals and five assists. “To be honest, he wasn’t a player who kept the ball just to show off; he was really effective,” remarked Cissé.
“To be honest, he’s among the best five players I played with technically, and all he was doing was moving forward and scoring goals. “It was very amazing to witness. I like the guy, and I had fun. “He’s a really cool guy, and I think he deserved a better career because he was really gifted in football and technique.” Taarabt had previously proven himself to be a step above the Championship during his tenure there a few years earlier, so there was little anticipation that he would stay after the Hoops were demoted from the Premier League at the end of the 2012–13 season.
Despite eventually settling at Benfica and playing in the first team squad for six of his seven years there, the Moroccan’s creative spark had waned and it appeared unlikely that he would ever again achieve the heights he displayed in the Championship. He was unable to perform to the same level during his loan stints at Fulham and AC Milan. For those who witnessed him flourish at QPR, the 36-year-old’s journey after Loftus Road has been somewhat disappointing. He scored just twice in 129 games for Benfica and has since had a successful career finale in the United Arab Emirates.
Even though it happened fifteen years ago, few players have ever been as skilled and exciting as Taarabt, and he is still frequently brought up when discussing the greatest Championship players in the division’s history. There will always be respect for Cissé because of his time as a teammate, but he shares the disappointment of the neutral fans that he was unable to continue after leaving Loftus Road.
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