With its preseason camp fully underway in Madrid, Spain, Atlético Ottawa announced on Thursday that international veteran defensive-midfielder Abdoul Wahid (Abdou) Sissoko would be joining the club on a one-year contract plus a one-year option.

Born in Troyes, France, from Malian parents, Sissoko has been playing professional soccer for over a decade, a career that has taken him from Ligue 1 in France to Serie A in Italie and La Liga in Spain, and most recently, to the Turkish Süper Lig and the Kuwait SC team where he was under the leadership of Atlético Ottawa Head Coach Carlos González.

Sissoko started his career with his hometown club Troyes AC in 2007, first joining the U19 squad, then moving on to the B squad before being brought up to the first team in 2009. He featured sparingly in his three seasons with Troyes AC before signing a five-year deal with Udinese in 2011. His time with the Italian club was marked by a short season with the main club before being loaned out to Brest (47 appearances), Hércules CF (29 appearances), and Granada CF (11 appearances). In 2015, he signed a one-year contract with RCD Mallorca where he featured in 34 matches and scored three goals.

At the end of the 2016 season, he joined Turkish club Akhisar Belediyespor where he would go on to revive his career, featuring in 81 matches in three seasons, across competitions including Süper Lig, Europa League, and the domestic cup, helping his side win their first professional hardware in the 2017-18 Turkish Cup (he scored a goal in the final). He joined Kuwait SC in 2020 during its first AFC Cup qualification run in over ten years.

On the international stage, Sissoko participated in four matches with France’s U20 program before switching allegiance to his country of origin and declaring to represent Mali. He received one call-up for the senior team but did not see the field.

“Ottawa is an ambitious sports project and has a team with a lot of talent that aspires to play at the top of the league, with a coach who has a philosophy of play and a vision of soccer that I like very much, so I did not hesitate when the opportunity arose,” explained Sissoko. “I like a challenge and I am confident that we can do some good things this season, maybe even win the Canadian Premier League title for Atlético Ottawa!”

Throughout his professional career so far, the soon-to-be 32-years-old Sissoko (March 20th) has featured in 299 matches and over 22,000 minutes of play.

“We’re excited to welcome Abdou to the family,” commented Fernando López, CEO of Atlético Ottawa. “He can shape the game on both sides of the ball, starting attacks or imposing a calming defensive presence. He is a player who can have an immediate impact with the club and we look forward to seeing him in action.”

Sissoko will join the club immediately as it continues its preparation for the 2022 season opener set for Saturday, April 9th at TD Place. #ATOTC is Atletico Ottawa Training Camp info updated  every other day from Spain. Follow along!

Fans can join experience Atelti first hand this season at TD Place via a FLEX PACK Membership or a SEASON SEAT Membership