Cisse: ‘Practically on the flight to PSV before Milan called, never had any doubt about my quality’
ITALY - OCTOBER 28: Alphadjo Cisse of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 28, 2026 in Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Alphadjo Cisse has spoken in-depth about his rapid rise to the top of Italian football, his life before becoming a professional and the fact that he had been on the verge of signing for PSV Eindhoven before receiving a call from Milan during the January transfer window.
Within the space of just a few months, Cisse has gone from playing his first full season in Serie A to being a hotly-anticipated member of the Italy national team squad and is currently Milan’s leading goalscorer in both Serie A and across all competitions.
The 20-year-old, spoke about his rapid ascent to the top of the Italian pyramid in a recent interview with Cronache di Spohgliatoio.
Cisse: ‘My life has changed a lot over the last few months, maybe even more than I’ve realised’
Going back to where it all began, Cisse said: “My life changed when I was working in my father’s factory. A manager from Verona went to look for him to beg him to take me there. He’s always been a hard worker: Every day at 5 pm, he took a break from work and at 5:15 he’d be in front of the house calling me to take me to play football.
“I still remember the first time. It was in the afternoon, he came up to the house and said: ‘Come on, I’ve got somewhere to take you’. Then we went out onto the pitch. He was the one who passed down my passion for football, and from that moment, I’ve never stopped.”
Cisse feels that he still has plenty of growing up to do in a football sense, though.
“A few weeks ago they asked me how much of myself I’d shown as a footballer and I answered 70%. Maybe I have to lower that a little bit. Let’s say 40%, because I have to improve in many aspects. But, at the same time, I know who I am and what I’m worth.
“Last season Alberto Aquilani, who was my coach at Catanzaro, told me ‘if you don’t play for at least 10 years in Serie A, for me, you will have failed’. I took that as a positive piece of encouragement, and that sentence pushed me to do better and made me believe in the things I can do.”
There was plenty of young Italian talent in last season’s Catanzaro squad, including another fresh face in the Italy squad: Mattia Liberali. Costantino Favasuli also left Catanzaro to join Napoli over the summer.
“Favasuli is one of my best friends in football,” said Cisse. “I met him in Serie B last year. We often found ourselves talking and dreaming together. He once told me ;think about the day when we will be playing for two great teams. It would be great to play in Serie A, but I’m 23, maybe it’s too late for me’. But, he’s done it too. Milan vs. Napoli will be in December, so we’ll see how that goes.
“He was my driver, he would take me to training. He’s an example that there is no age limit to stop feeling young or to stop believing in yourself.”
Cisse went on to speak about the moment he found out he would be joining Milan during the January transfer window. He also had strong interest from Eredivisie side PSV at the time.
“My friends’ WhatsApp group exploded,” he recalled. “‘Alpha, is this true?,’ they were asking. And I said, ‘yeah guys, yes’. PSV wanted me immediately, but Milan were going to let me finish the season in Serie B. Two great teams, but Milan … you can’t describe it.
“It was a mix of emotions. My parents told me to stay calm and that the best was still yet to come. We decided that this was the right choice, and seeing how it’s going, I’d say we were right.”
PSV had been so close to signing Cisse, that he says he was “practically on the flight to Rotterdam to sign with PSV, but then Milan came in.”
Cisse’s first experiences with Milan came during the back end of the 2025-26 season, when he received treatment for an injury he picked up in Serie B.
“The first times I went to Milanello were for the injury recovery. Milan let me stay with Catanzaro, but I got injured a few days after. In fact, I had some big doubts: ‘I’m going to Milan after an injury, let’s see how it all goes’.
“This is exactly what Ruben Amorim spoke to me about when we first met. We focused on the injury, he explained what he wanted from me on the pitch. He’s a great person, who knows how to work with young people. And he knows how to keep my feet on the ground, even if I’m not one of those whose head is in the clouds.”
It has been a rapid rise to the top since then: Cisse is Milan’s leading goalscorer across all competitions with eight from 13 appearances, and their joint-top goalscorer in Serie A with five (from nine outings).
The first hat-trick of his career came in a 4-0 victory away against RB Salzburg in October.
“Everything felt clear to me after the hat-trick in the Europa League,” said Cisse. “It was confirmation of what I had thought to myself. It didn’t feel like I’d ‘arrived’, it was the realisation of a promise I’d made to myself as a child.
“Even though I was coming off a long injury, even though I’m young and still have a lot to improve, I’ve never had any doubts about my qualities and the places I could go. I’m very demanding of myself.
“My life has changed a lot over the last few months, maybe even more than I’ve realised myself. There are times when I stop and think about how different everything is compared to a short while ago. Football is taking me to places that I never could have dreamed of, but I’m still the same person inside.
“I know what my ambitions are and maybe that’s what helps me to not get lost in all of this, even when everything around you is changing.”
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