GdS: A start vs. France at San Siro – Cisse’s rapid ascent continues with Mancini’s faith

By: Oliver Fisher

Alphadjo Cisse continues to go from strength to strength, and his biggest moment yet might be coming during the break.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, beyond the confidence with which he plays and speaks, what’s truly striking is Cisse’s composure in front of goal at just 20 years of age, experiencing his first proper season in the top flight.

His goal in Genoa seemed easy because he made it so, but it wasn’t. Adrien Rabiot’s pass was quite slow, the distance to the goal wasn’t that close, Genoa were exposed after losing the ball but Bijlow wasn’t in a particularly bad position, and beating him required precision.

Other strikers in those circumstances may have opted for a powerful finish. Not Cisse. He looked for the corner and found it with a lovely precise strike, one which revealed everything about the groove he has found himself in.

It was goal number five in the league for Alphadjo Cisse, making him Milan’s joint-top scorer alongside Rabiot. That extends to eight across all competitions, which puts the young Italian alone on the pedastal.

Two stats in particular stand out. The first: with his fifth goal in his ninth league appearance at 20 years and 17 days, he became the second-youngest Rossoneri player to reach this milestone in his first 10 appearances in the three-points-for-a-win era, after Pato (18 years and 181 days).

Second: he is one of only three players born in 2006 or later in the five major European leagues in 2026-27 to have scored at least eight goals in all competitions, along with Yamal (13) and Brunner (8).

Oh, and there’s another pretty good one: Shevchenko also scored eight goals in his first 13 games of the season with the Diavolo (although he achieved this in fewer minutes). The reward could well be a renewal, to fend off Premier League interest too.

Now, a change in dressing room awaits over the break. Roberto Mancini called him up to the senior national team for the first time, and according to La Gazzetta, the talent could start immediately.

He’s currently competing for a spot on the left in the 4-3-3 formation with Cambiaghi and Sebastiano Esposito. The Rossoneri guarantees more presence in the penalty area and quality in finishing, while Cambiaghi provides more coverage.

We’ll see if Mancini ultimately chooses to use him from the start, but what’s certain is that the former Verona man will be ready no matter what, and for a game at San Siro against France no less.