his Liverpool debut, Cissé scored the winning header on his debut against Tottenham to make it 2–1 to Sunderland. A few days later, Cissé announced his desire to secure a permanent deal with the club. Manager Roy Keane also expressed his desire to sign Cissé, telling The News of the World, "I'd be happy to break the transfer record if Djibril's doing the business". In the Tyne-Wear derby, Cissé scored his third Sunderland goal on 25 October 2008, with Sunderland winning 2–1. After scoring in a 4–1 victory against Hull, Cissé stated that despite the departure of Roy Keane from Sunderland, he still wished to complete a permanent move to the club. On 18 April 2009, Cissé scored his 10th league goal of the season in a 1–0 victory over Hull City at the Stadium of Light. On 24 May, it was confirmed that Sunderland would not be taking up the option to sign Cissé permanently, and he subsequently returned to Marseille. Panathinaikos On 25 June 2009, Cissé signed a four-year contract with Panathinaikos. It was reported that the player would earn €2.5 million per year, while French club Marseille would get an estimated €8 million as a transfer fee. The total cost of the transfer is about €20 million, taking into account the various bonuses. He scored his first goal in Greece against Crete-based Ergotelis and soon he became the new leader of the team. He was the Superleague topscorer for the 2009–10, leading his team to win the double. In his first year in Greece, Cissé scored 23 goals in 28 matches. Cissé's performances made Panathinaikos fans love him. He had stated that after making the double in Greece he would love to play again in the Champions League with Panathinaikos and looking for a successful season also in Greece. On 30 October 2010, he scored two goals (one penalty) in the Derby of the eternal enemies against arch-rivals Olympiacos in a 2–1 home win. At the MVP award ceremony for the 8th fixture, Cissé said "I am not only a player of Panathinaikos, but I am also a fan." In the new season, he has already scored 18 goals in 20 matches in the Greek League and one goal in the Greek Cup. He was also the team captain of Panathinaikos and the most valuable player of the club. On 19 February 2011, Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos in