Pierre Issa
| Date of birth | 11 August 1975 |
| Place of birth | Germiston |
| Nationality | South African |
| Weight | 85 kg |
| Height | 1.93 m |
| Position | Defender/Centre back |
He was born in Johannesburg but raised in Paris and played most of his club football in France starting his career at Dunkerque in the 1994-1995 season. After just one season he left for Marseille where he spent six seasons mainly as a reserve player not really breaking into the first team. Despite this he made his international debut in November 1997 against Germany after being bought to the South African football authorities by accident. After a spell on loan at Chelsea, where he failed to make a senior appearance, he joined English First Division club Watford on a free transfer in July 2001. He started the season well but fell out with manager Gianluca Vialli when he elected to play for South Africa during the season in several friendly internationals and the African Nations Cup Finals. He lost his starting place in the team and was placed on the transfer list. He is the captain of the side when Lucas Radebe is absent and will start in the centre of defence.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| USL Dunkerque | |||
| Olympique Marseille | 27 Jan 2001 | ||
| Chelsea | 27 Jan 2001 | 07 May 2001 | L |
| Olympique Marseille | 05 Jul 2001 | 07 Sep 2001 | |
| Watford | 07 Sep 2001 | 30 Jun 2002 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | Olympique Marseille | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Olympique Marseille | French Championnat | 8 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | Watford | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Watford | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Watford | League Division 1 | 12 | 3 |
1 |
4
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2001 | Watford v West Bromwich Albion | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Sep 2001 | Norwich City v Watford | L | 3-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Crewe Alexandra v Watford | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Sep 2001 | Watford v Birmingham City | D | 3-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Grimsby Town v Watford | W | 0-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 23 Oct 2001 | Watford v Nottingham Forest | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Oct 2001 | Bradford City v Watford | L | 4-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 30 Oct 2001 | Sheffield United v Watford | W | 0-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 03 Nov 2001 | Watford v Barnsley | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Nov 2001 | Burnley v Watford | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 25 Nov 2001 | Watford v Portsmouth | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Nov 2001 | Watford v Charlton Athletic | W | 3-2 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 09 Dec 2001 | Coventry City v Watford | W | 0-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 19 Dec 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday v Watford | L | 4-0 | League Cup | Quarter-final |
| 22 Dec 2001 | Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 29 Dec 2001 | Walsall v Watford | W | 0-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 Jan 2002 | Watford v Millwall | L | 1-4 | League Division 1 | |
| 05 Jan 2002 | Watford v Arsenal | L | 2-4 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.