Everyone loves the gem, and Milan is launching Operation “Alpha”
Alphadjo Cissé, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on October 22, has now carved out an important role for himself at Milan thanks to his performances and goals. Fresh off a brilliant season in Serie B with Catanzaro, coached by Alberto Aquilani, and having come close to a move to PSV Eindhoven last January, the young forward has repaid Ruben Amorim’s trust. The Portuguese coach decided to bet on him, turning down loan offers from Torino and Sassuolo. It was a decision that proved to be the right one, as demonstrated by his goals against Torino and Juventus and the hat trick he scored on the road against Salzburg in the Europa League.
The Rossoneri are now intent on securing his talent. Cissé’s agents are expected to meet with club officials soon to negotiate a new contract running through 2031. A substantial pay raise is also reportedly on the table, with his salary potentially doubling from the current 700,000–800,000 euros per year.
His hat trick against Salzburg—in the 4-0 victory on Matchday 2 of the Europa League group stage—came within a span of 50 minutes. The Treviso-born player of Guinean descent opened the scoring in the 15th minute off an assist from Hutchinson and doubled the lead in the 32nd minute off a cross from Bartesaghi. Early in the second half, he scored his third goal with a turn-and-shoot finish off a pass from Rabiot. It was a night that put Milan back on track after their opening-match loss to Benfica at San Siro—a game in which Cissé was nonetheless one of the few players to perform well. Amorim, while praising him, didn’t hesitate to urge him on: “He deserves the playing time he’s getting for what he’s doing physically—he knows how to be explosive. He still has some work to do to improve; he needs to do better in training as well. However, tonight, huge congratulations to him—the hat trick is extraordinary. But at the same time, he must keep working.”
The turning point of his season came as early as this summer, with the goal that temporarily tied the score at 2-2 in the preseason friendly against Manchester United. On that occasion, Amorim commented: “He’ll make life difficult for Rafa Leão”—words that now sound like a prophecy, given that Leão ended up in Turkey. Torino had also tried to secure Cissé on loan, including him as a possible part of a broader deal involving the young Torino winger Alessio Cacciamani. Milan, however, chose to keep him, and he reaffirmed his ambitions while speaking to fans at the flagship store on Via Dante: “I could have gone to PSV—it was almost a done deal in January—but when Milan called, I immediately changed my mind. In recent weeks, I could have gone out on loan, but I’m at one of the biggest clubs in the world: I believe this is my big break.”
His performance in the Rossoneri jersey has also earned him a spot on the Italy Under-21 team, for which he has already made four appearances. On October 1, in Yerevan, he decided the match against Armenia in the 2027 U-21 European Championship qualifiers with a 95th-minute goal—after Koleosho missed a penalty—securing three crucial points for coach Silvio Baldini’s Azzurrini. Regarding a possible call-up to the senior national team, Amorim had this to say: “If he were called up to the national team, he’d have no trouble—he’s already ready. He certainly needs more time to complete his development, but he doesn’t lack personality. He’s always asking for the ball and isn’t shy on the field.” His name has already made its way into head coach Roberto Mancini’s notebook.
