Papiss Cisse has spoken about the moment he found out about the death of his friend and former Newcastle United teammate Cheick Tioté. It was six years ago last month that the Ivory Coast midfielder tragically passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest in training whilst at Chinese club Beijing Enterprises Group.
He was aged just 30. Cisse, who was on Tyneside for four years, became extremely close with Tioté and speaking to Behind The White Lines, he has told of the moment when he discovered the awfully sad news.
"Tiote was a part of me," said Cisse, aged 38 and still playing with French side Amiens.
Read more: Cisse on 'amazing' Newcastle love affair and why he left
"We had a holiday for one week and I said I was going to come back and see him. I didn’t see him for a few days as it was Ramadan and we had to go fasting and I said I’ll come back in four days because I miss speaking with you and seeing you.
"When I went back to my city, I was going to eat at a restaurant with a friend and my driver, and something strange came in with my driver. He checked his phone and I looked at him and straight away I didn’t feel good. I said ‘John, what’s going on? Tell me what’s going on because the way you’re looking at me, I don’t feel good’.
"He said Tiote was training, and that he fell down. When the helicopter arrived at the pitch, but before the helicopter manged to take him to the hospital he had already passed away really. It was very, very hard for me, but I have to think of his family. His kids were so young, his wife was pregnant. That’s more difficult. Because he was family to me, he was in my family, he was my brother not my friend.
"We always had that respect together. I just feel sorry for his wife and kids. I was so happy to have him as my friend, to have him in my life."
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