Cisse takes centre stage: "AC Milan are helping me with the national team"

"I’m happy with how things are going, but I try to put my emotions to one side because it helps me concentrate better and give my best, I want to keep showing my qualities." Those were the words of Alphadjo Cisse at the training camp in Tirrenia, where he is working with his team-mates in Silvio Baldini’s Italy Under-21 side ahead of the upcoming Euro 2027 qualifiers.

Fresh from a hat-trick against Empoli Primavera, the AC Milan player will try to do it again tomorrow against Spezia Primavera in the Azzurrini’s final friendly before they leave for Yerevan ahead of next Thursday’s match against Armenia. That will be followed on 5 October by the final group game against Poland in Pescara. "There’s not much to say, we have to win to keep chasing qualification," says the striker, who hopes he can celebrate reaching that target in Italy.

For Cisse, the chance to seal qualification at home adds extra fuel. "The thought of being able to secure qualification at home pushes us on and motivates us to give even more. We’re excited to be able to play in front of our fans, we’re expecting a big turnout because we want to enjoy it together." On a personal level, the 20-year-old born in Treviso knows he is going through an important spell: "Being at AC Milan is helping me grow," says Cisse, "and I hope I can bring everything I’m learning into the national team as well. The group here is special, I feel as if I’m at home. We spend a lot of time together, we build bonds and you can see that on the pitch."