Hawa Cissoko (born 10 April 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender for English FA Women's Super League club West Ham United and the France national team. She also holds Malian citizenship. Early life Cissoko was born in Paris on 10 April 1997. She is one of 15 children. She begun her football career as a 12 year old in when she joined FC Solitaire. She was then invited to joined Paris Saint-Germain youth team in 2012. Club career Cissoko made her senior career debut for Paris Saint Germain during the 2014–15 season. She went on to join Olympique de Marseille in 2017. After a lone season with Marseille, she transferred to ASJ Soyaux in 2018. She joined West Ham United in July 2020. On 15 October 2022, she was involved in an on-field scuffle in which she struck an opposing player in a league match against Aston Villa. She was subsequently banned for five matches as a result. On 11 December 2022, Cissoko scored her first senior career goal in a 2–0 league win against Tottenham Hotspur. International career Cissoko represented France at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She has appeared twice for Les Bleues at senior level in 2017, both matches being friendly: on 18 September in a 1–1 draw against Spain and on 20 October 2017 in a 1–0 win against England. By July 2020, after moving to England, Cissoko has expressed her desire to switch her international allegiance and play for Mali. Personal life Cissoko is a Muslim. She made the decision in January 2021 to wear the hijab, only removing it during matches. Career statistics Club International References External links 1997 births Living people Footballers from Paris Black French sportspeople French sportspeople of Malian descent French women's footballers Women's association football defenders France women's youth international footballers UEFA Women's Euro 2022 players Division 1 Féminine players Paris Saint-Germain Féminine players Olympique de Marseille (women) players ASJ Soyaux-Charente players West Ham United F.C. Women players France women's international footballers French expatriate women's footballers French expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate women's footballers in England