One of South Africa's most revered centre-backs, Pierre Issa sat down with Soccer Laduma to take a look back at his playing days in Europe, and spoke about sharing a dressing room with the likes Seydou Keita and Claude Makelele, and why joining Chelsea was a mistake.
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How did you go from being born in Germiston to starting your club career in France?
Well, my family left South Africa and we moved to a suburb of Paris in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone, and that's where I started to play football.
How did 20-year-old you find himself at Olympique Marseille? How did that move take place?
I was in the academy of Marseille, and that year the team got punished because of the Affaire Om-Valenciennes. Marseille got relegated to Ligue 2 so many young players got the chance to play with the first team.
Was there any apprehension in joining a Marseille that had been involved in a match-fixing controversy and been relegated?
No apprehension at all. I was a fan of Marseille, and I was happy to sign with them.
You played with a lot of young players who would go on to become legends when you were at Marseille, like William Gallas, Claude Makelele, Djamel Belmadi, Robert Pires and Seydou Keita. What was it like being in this young dressing room with such big talents?
I was very lucky to play with all these legends and we had really a great atmosphere in the team. I'm still in contact with many of them today.
You then went to Chelsea. How did that move happen?
There was a new coach [at Marseille]. Rolland Courbis left, he stayed in Marseille for three years, and the new trainer didn't really want to count on the players who were with him before, and that's how the opportunity of the Chelsea loan came, but at the end it was a quick decision and a mistake for me.
What are the differences you experienced between Marseille and London?
London is totally a different city to Marseille. Marseille is sun, the sea, and people take their time. In London, the weather is cold but it is also a nice city.
What was it like playing under Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea?
Ranieri is a very charismatic person and top coach who is close to his players.
You played with some big stars at the Blues, like Marcel Desailly, John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen. Who was the best player you played with at Chelsea?
Zola. Wow.
Was the Chelsea move the reason you decided to join Watford?
At Chelsea I didn't play, so came the possibility with Watford and the coach was Luca Vialli, so I jumped on the occasion to go there.
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What went behind choosing to play for Bafana Bafana?
Bafana was a dream to represent the country and also what Bafana did in winning the African Cup [Of Nations], and with all this hope of the country and all the love I have for Nelson Mandela for all he did for his country.
Having played with Christophe Dugarry at Marseille, did you guys ever speak of the 1998 FIFA World Cup opener in which he scored and you scored an own goal?
Yes, we did, Dugarry is a friend and he gave me courage because he went through a tough time before the FIFA World Cup, so I kept working and I had 55 caps with my country which I'm proud of.
How do you look back on your Bafana career?
I really loved playing for Bafana and my country, and I believe we could have won the trophy [AFCON] in Ghana because we really had a top team.
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