Djibril Cissé on QPR's promotion chances, Adel Taarabt, Julien Stephan & addressing Samir Nasri/Man City flashpoint | OneFootball

Cissé spoke exclusively to Football League World about the current day R's, as well as his time at Loftus Road between 2012 and 2013

It may have only been a brief stay at Loftus Road, but Djibril Cissé's one-year stint at Queens Park Rangers was certainly memorable.

The French striker had already experienced plenty of English football prior to his move to the Hoops in January 2012, having spent a few years with Liverpool and then taking in a season on loan with Sunderland, but Mark Hughes' decision to bring him in from Lazio midway through the season proved to be an inspired decision.

Via Poker Strategy, Football League World exclusively spoke to the now 44-year-old Cissé on his small stint with the west London outfit, with the infamous final day of the season clash with Man City, as well as current day QPR discussed.

Djibril Cissé "loved" QPR stint despite indifferent first few months

QPR were battling relegation in the Premier League when Cissé was brought in for a reported fee of £4 million from Lazio, with the hope that his international and Champions League-winning experience would bring goals.

And they certainly did - in his eight Premier League outings in the 2011-12 season following his signing, Cissé bagged six goals in eight matches, which was an extraordinary record, but two red cards were also picked up in a whirlwind period.

In just his second R's outing, having netted on debut against Aston Villa, Cissé was dismissed in a home clash with Wolves, having reacted badly to a Roger Johnson tackle by grabbing him by the throat, and after serving a three-match ban for that offence and then netting in back-to-back matches upon his return to action against Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool, disaster struck again for the attacker when he lunged into Black Cats striker Fraizer Campbell and was once again handed a straight red.

Those two misdemeanours cost Cissé seven potential appearances out of a possible 16 matches that he could have played in, but his goal record was not to be sniffed at - although there was regrets from at least one of his dismissals.

"Yeah, it was a special spell at QPR. I loved it to be honest. I would have liked to play more games," Cissé told FLW.

"The first red card I can understand. It was the reaction of someone that just had two broken legs. He (Johnson) gave me a nasty tackle, luckily enough he missed me, but that’s the reaction of the intention of hurting me, possibly.

"But the second one was a bad challenge, I think it was at Sunderland, and I should have been more careful and more clever in this play.

"But, to be honest, my spell at QPR, I really loved it."

Djibril Cissé takes aim at Man United fans over Man City 3-2 QPR claims

As mentioned, Cissé played his part in the epic finale of the 2011-12 Premier League season when QPR travelled to the Etihad Stadium to take on Man City, with both clubs having rather different aims.

City needed to win to lift their first ever Premier League title, whilst for QPR, if they were defeated, Bolton Wanderers could have jumped them in the table and knocked them back to the Championship.

After Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring in the first half for Man City, Cissé would equalise for his side in the second half, but he was withdrawn on 55 minutes and would have to witness the carnage of the rest of the game from the bench, which saw Jamie Mackie put the R's ahead, Joey Barton's sending off and follow-up antics, and also the two stoppage time goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero which saw the Citizens crowned champions.

In the end though, Bolton's 2-2 draw at Stoke saw QPR safe, and Cissé was seen celebrating on the pitch with City's Samir Nasri, which prompted an angry response from some Man United fans, who claimed that the London outfit - perhaps knowing they were safe - threw the game in the last minute to let City win the league.

Cissé has laughed off that claim though, and has had a dig at United fans and others in the process.

"Yeah, we did a really good result the game before at home against Stoke, I remember this goal for me it was one of the most important in my career, because we knew that it would be difficult for us to win at City," Cissé said.

"But we had to go there and to see what happened on the other game too (Stoke v Bolton). But this game was special because we were fighting from relegation, they were fighting for the title, and everything turned well for me and Samir Nasri, who is more than a friend, and that’s why maybe people still do not understand my reaction was like this when he was champion and I was safe.

"Samir is like my little brother. We spent a lot of time together at Marseille, he used to sleep at mine, we used to spend a lot of time together and for him to be Premier League champion, it was something big, and I was as happy as him, and it’s not because Man United paid the price of it, it was Samir.

"If he played for Chelsea or Liverpool or another club, my reaction would’ve been the same - just that the title race was City against United, and the United fans misunderstood my reaction, but it’s just my friend, that’s it, and more than my friend like I said, but people didn’t really understand.

"I don’t really care, to be honest, it’s silly and it made me laugh when I heard things like ‘He’s a City fan’ and ‘They did it on purpose for United not to be champions’...we don’t have time for this.

"We don’t have time to think about this on the pitch, I was happy for him (Nasri) - period. I was safe, he was champion - that’s it."

Regrets issued over Djibril Cissé's QPR exit in 2013

Cissé stayed with QPR going into the 2012-13 Premier League season, and would still often lead the line under Mark Hughes, but the Welshman would be sacked by the club in mid-November 2012 following a 3-1 home defeat to Southampton.

At the time, Cissé had scored just once in 11 appearances, which was a far cry from his past season's form, and despite adding two more goals under Hughes' successor Harry Redknapp, the France international would start 2013 on the bench, and then a couple of weeks later he was out of the door, signing for Al-Gharafa of Qatar on loan for the rest of that season, before his QPR contract was terminated later that year in the summer after their relegation to the Championship.

His exit was a decision that Cissé had to take on the chin, but he believes he had more to give for the club that season prior to his departure.

"Yeah, to be honest the way my QPR story ended, I was a little disappointed," Cissé admitted.

"I think I could’ve done better, but I think I did some great stuff for the club.

"I loved my life in London, I was really happy to stay at the club, but they changed the manager and Harry Redknapp came with different ideas, which I respect, and I wasn’t in the plans, so I had to move.

"That’s football, we’re not going to cry about it, but I would’ve been happy to stay."

Djibril Cissé lauds former QPR team-mate Adel Taarabt

At the time of his arrival, Cissé joined an experienced set of QPR players, with the likes of Anton Ferdinand, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton and others in the squad, but one player who had been the shining light of the team for a few years prior was Adel Taarabt.

The Moroccan has been dubbed a 'streets won't forget' player over the years due to his trickery and technique, and Cissé's memories of him are positive ones - even though he did not perhaps reach the heights he could and maybe should have done in his career.

"To be honest, he wasn’t a player that kept the ball just to show off, he was really effective, everything that he was doing was to go forward and to go and score, and to be honest he’s top five of the players technically that I played with," Cissé said.

"It was really something to see, I enjoyed it, I like the guy.

"He’s a really cool guy, and in terms of technique and football, I think that he deserved a better career, because he was really gifted."

Djibril Cissé makes Julien Stéphan claim after QPR manager appointment

In terms of current day QPR, they are managed by Cissé's countryman Julien Stéphan, whose other managerial jobs with Stade Rennais and Strasbourg were in the top flight of French football, and the ex-R's striker was not surprised that the 45-year-old headed to Loftus Road, such is the power that English football holds - even at second tier level.

"I think a lot of French guys want to experience English football," Cissé claimed.

"QPR is a good club, a club with history, and I’m not surprised that French coaches, like (Regis) Le Bris from Sunderland…there is a history between French culture and English culture anyway, so I’m not surprised, and I think you’re going to see more French coaches coming to England.

After a summer of exciting arrivals, with the likes of Richard Kone and Kwame Poku adding to QPR's already impressive attacking talent, the Hoops will be aiming for at least the Championship play-offs, having not been in the top flight of English football since 2015.

And Cissé believes the club belongs at that very level, and they should follow the blueprint of another of his former club's in Sunderland, who returned to the Premier League earlier in 2025 after eight years away of their own.

"I think Sunderland is the right example to follow," Cissê told us.

"QPR is a Premier League club, but it takes time to come back to where we were.

"But I think that the club is going to manage to do it and for me, they deserve it, but like you say, it’s a matter of time to bring back the club to the Premier League.