Sinama-Pongolle, Florent

[TLW]

Written by Dave Usher

FLORENT SINAMA PONGOLLE PROFILE         Date of Birth - 20/10/84 Nationality - French Games - 66 Goals - 9 Position - Striker Cost - £3.5m Club Hons (Lpool) - Champions League 2005; Club Hons (other - None Intnl Hons - France u21 Other Clubs - Le Havre, Blackburn (loan), Recreativo

When Florent arrived on Merseyside in the summer of 2003, expectations were very high. Liverpool fans had heard a lot about the young striker and his best pal Anthony Le Tallec, all of it very good. Liverpool had done a deal for the pair two years earlier, when Gerard Houllier stole a march on a whole host of top clubs to secure their signatures after the pair had helped France to win the World U16 championships.

Le Tallec was awarded the Silver Ball for being the tournaments most impressive player, whilst Sinama-Pongolel picked up the Golden Boot for finishing as the top goalscorer. Every major club in Europe were sniffing around the pair, but it was Houllier who got in first and persuaded them to join the reds. It was seen as a major coup. It would be two years however before Flo and Tony would finally line up in a red shirt when they went on the club's pre-season tour of the Far East.

Their first appearance on British shores came in a pre-season game at Crewe, when both appeared as substitutes. It was Le Tallec who first caught the eye, but as the season progressed it was Flo who made the greater impact on the first team, as injuries to Baros and Owen handed him an opportunity to show what he could do. His first goal came in a win over Leeds at Anfield, when his pace took him through and he finished emphatically past Paul Robinson. He proved to be a real handful for opposing defences, and was involved in several penalty incidents, some given and others not.

He won spot kicks against Fulham and Birmingham, and was denied strong appeals against Manchester United and Middlesbrough. His opportunities were restricted as with Baros' return to full fitness, but Flo had made a big impression with the Kop and his all action style won him a lot of admirers. He failed to build on that early promise however, and the arrival of Rafa Benitez meant that he had it all to prove. Houllier had bought him, and knew what he could do.

Benitez only knew of him through reputation. With Owen and Heskey both leaving for pastures new, the door opened a little more for Sinama, especially when his new pal Djibril Cisse suffered a broken leg which ruled him out for the season. The little Frenchman seemed to be low on confidence, and struggled for goals even at reserve level. Then came the Carling Cup tie at White Hart Lane. The reds, trailing to a Defoe goal in extra time, were awarded a penalty. Sinama stepped up and held his nerve to beat Paul Robinson. The game went to a shoot out, and he repeated the feat to hit the winning kick and give the reds' young side an unlikely victory.

That gave his confidence a huge boost, and when he stepped off the bench at half time with the reds trailing to Olympiacos in a must win Champions League game at Anfield, he wasted no time in making his mark, scoring with his first touch. His display in that game, along with that of fellow substitute Neil Mellor, was the catalyst for a comeback which will be talked about for many years to come. That goal ensured that Flo has his own little place in the history of the club, and whatever else he does or doesn't do in his career he will always be remebered for the part he played on that memorable night.

He continued to be a bit part player the following season, although as he had done the previous eason, he made a key contribution to a cup success with a match winning substitute appearance in a game that looked lost. The reds were 3-1 down to Luton Town in the FA Cup 3rd round, but Pongolle scored twice to inspire a comeback, and although he would not be a part of the final stages of the competition, the FA Cup would not have been won without Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

He was struggling to get many games at Anfield, and was sent out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, where he had limited success playing alongside Craig Bellamy. He blotted his copybook somewhat with some curious comments about most people in the City of Liverpool being Evertonians, and at the end of the 2005/06 season it was his strike partner at Blackburn, Bellamy, that Rafa Benitez wanted at Anfield, not the young Frenchman.

So despite interest from Gerard Houllier's Lyon, Sinama-Pongolle was sent on a season long loan to Recreativo in Spain. He made a good impression in La Liga, most notably when he scored at the Bernebeu as the Spanish minnows toppled the mighty Real Madrid in their own back yard. He made the move permanent in the summer of 2007, joining Recre for a fee of £2.6m.