View source for Pierre Issa

{{short description|South African soccer player}}
{{Use South African English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name= Pierre Issa
| fullname = Pierre Sanharib Issa
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|9|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Germiston]], South Africa
| height = 1.95 m
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Centre-back]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = 1994–1995 | clubs1 = [[USL Dunkerque|Dunkerque]]          | caps1 = 28 | goals1 = 2
| years2 = 1995–2001 | clubs2 = [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] | caps2 = 147 | goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2001      | clubs3 = → [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] (loan)    | caps3 = 0  | goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2001–2002 | clubs4 = [[Watford F.C.|Watford]]             | caps4 = 15 | goals4 = 1
| years5 = 2002–2004 | clubs5 = [[Olympic Beirut]]                   | caps5 = 49 | goals5 = 6
| years6 = 2005      | clubs6 = [[Ionikos F.C.|Ionikos]]             | caps6 = 15 | goals6 = 1
| years7 = 2005–2009 | clubs7 = [[OFI Crete F.C.|OFI]]               | caps7 = 69 | goals7 = 5
| totalcaps = 323
| totalgoals = 15
| nationalyears1 = 1997–2006
| nationalteam1 = [[South Africa national soccer team|South Africa]]
| nationalcaps1 = 47 
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}

'''Pierre Sanharib Issa''' (born 11 September 1975) is a South African former professional [[Association football|soccer]] player who played as a [[Defender (association football)|defender]]. He is the current [[Sporting director#As a general manager|sporting director]] of the Greek side [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]]. Born in South Africa, Issa is of [[Lebanese people in South Africa|Lebanese descent]] and was naturalised as a French citizen at the end of the 1990s.

== Club career ==
Issa was born in [[Germiston]], South Africa, in a family of Lebanese Christians. His maternal grandfather was Lebanese consul in Johannesburg. Pierre Issa joined France at 11 years old.<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=https://www.liberation.fr/sports/1998/11/20/une-saison-al-om-pierre-issa-un-amour-de-bafanalibanais-d-origine-ne-en-afrique-du-sud-et-fier-d-etr_251527/ | title=Une saison àl'OM. Pierre Issa, un amour de BafanaLibanais d'origine, né en Afrique du Sud"" et fier d'être marseillais }}</ref> He began playing for French semi-professional side [[USL Dunkerque|Dunkerque]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

He started his professional career with [[Olympique Marseille|Marseille]] in 1995 and went on to play in the [[1999 UEFA Cup Final]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} He became a naturalised French citizen shortly after his arrival in Marseille.<ref name=":0" />

He moved to [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] on loan in January 2001, although he did not play a competitive game for the London club.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

He is best known in England for his spell with [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] in [[2001–02 in English football|2001–02]]. Signed by new manager [[Gianluca Vialli]] from Marseille, Issa scored once, against Portsmouth.<ref name="watfordgoal" /> Issa was memorably dropped by his stretcher bearers after an injury in a home game against [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]],<ref name="stretcher" /> and was put on the club's transfer list on 14 February 2002, only five months after he had signed for the club.<ref name="bbcprofile2" /> He never played for Watford again, but played for his country at [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] whilst still contracted to Watford.<ref name="2002match" /><ref name="exit" />

After leaving Watford, Issa signed for [[Tripoli SC|Olympic Beirut]] and won both [[Lebanese Premier League]] and [[Lebanese FA Cup]] in his first season with the club, but was released in the 2004–05 season as the club's ownership was changed due to financial considerations.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

He signed for Ionikos of Greece and later for [[OFI Crete F.C.|OFI]], also in Greece, where he stayed until 2009.<ref>{{NFT|10532|name=Pierre Issa|accessdate=5 September 2010}}</ref>

== International career ==
Issa played 47 times for [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] since making his debut on 15 November 1997 against [[Germany national football team|Germany]], having also captained his country.<ref name=bbcprofile2 />

In the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], during the opening match, he scored two own goals against [[France national football team|France]].<ref name="worldcupsquad" /><ref name="bbcprofile1" /> Issa was also selected for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] squad.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

== Honours ==
'''Olympic Beirut'''
* [[Lebanese Premier League]]: 2003
* [[Lebanese FA Cup]]: 2003

'''Individual'''
* [[Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season]]: [[2002–03 Lebanese Premier League|2002–03]]<ref name=":2003">{{Cite news|date=4 July 2003|title=|script-title=ar:مهرجان كرة المنار|language=ar|edition=498|pages=16|work=Shoot}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=2002match>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=4395/results/matches/match=43950006/report.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709062729/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=4395/results/matches/match=43950006/report.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 July 2007|title=Paraguay – South Africa|publisher=FIFA|access-date=5 September 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=bbcprofile1>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/1186747.stm|title=Profile: Pierre Issa of South Africa|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=5 September 2010|date=23 February 2001}}</ref>

<ref name=bbcprofile2>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/south_africa/squad/newsid_1930000/1930578.stm|title=South Africa: Pierre Issa|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=5 September 2010|date=15 April 2002}}</ref>

<ref name=exit>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/2060352.stm|title=Issa exits Watford|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=5 September 2010|date=22 June 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=stretcher>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1563030.stm|title=Watford 3–3 Birmingham|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=5 September 2010|date=26 September 2001}}</ref>

<ref name=watfordgoal>{{cite web
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1674172.stm
|title=Watford 3–0 Portsmouth
|publisher=[[BBC]]
|date=24 November 2001 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=worldcupsquad>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071016162428/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/teams/team=43883.html 1998 FIFA World Cup – South Africa Squad]</ref>

}}

==External links==
*{{sports links}}

{{Navboxes colour
| bg          = #F7EB29
| fg          = #006400
| bordercolor = #006400
| title       = South Africa squads
| list1  =
{{South Africa Squad 1998 World Cup}}
{{South Africa Squad 2000 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{South Africa Squad 2002 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{South Africa Squad 2002 World Cup}}
{{South Africa Squad 2006 Africa Cup of Nations}}
}}
{{2002–03 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Issa, Pierre}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Germiston]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Gauteng]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:White South African people]]
[[Category:South African people of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:South African men's soccer players]]
[[Category:South Africa men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:South African expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Olympique de Marseille players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Greece]]
[[Category:Watford F.C. players]]
[[Category:Olympic Beirut players]]
[[Category:Chelsea F.C. players]]
[[Category:OFI Crete F.C. players]]
[[Category:Ionikos F.C. players]]
[[Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:2000 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:2002 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:2006 Africa Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:Ligue 1 players]]
[[Category:Lebanese Premier League players]]
[[Category:Super League Greece players]]
[[Category:USL Dunkerque players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:21st-century South African sportsmen]]