Milan's bargain wonderkid who could save Italian football after rewriting history

Analysis

Suraj Radia | Editor

Milan have not had much to get excited about in recent times but they appear to have struck gold with one of their new signings who announced himself on the European stage with a breakout moment this week.

The Italian giants have endured difficulties both on and off the pitch since finishing runners up in 2024, although they have returned to continental football this season, having failed to qualify for the previous campaign.

Although they are in the Europa League as opposed to the premier Champions League, Milan are expected to be among the favourites for the competition, particularly after a 4-0 win away at Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday.

The result was largely due to the performance of Alphadjo Cisse, who netted his fifth goal in seven matches this season with a hat-trick to become the youngest Italian to achieve such a feat in major European competition – a record that had only just been set two days earlier by Club Brugge forward Nicolo Tresoldi.

It was a record that, before Tresoldi’s intervention, had stood for more than 30 years and will have provided some rare joy for the Italian national team amid their startling decline, particularly if Tresoldi declares for the Azzurri instead of Germany, whom he has played for in his youth career.

At the very least, Cisse has proven to be a rare talent that has taken Serie A by storm this season and the 19-year-old has come from obscurity to potentially be the saviour for club and country if his development continues.

Alphadjo Cisse: Milan’s new hero who could be the star talent for club and country

Cisse was born in Italy to parents of Guinean descent and the midfielder came through the ranks of Hellas Verona before Milan signed him for €8 million in February and immediately loaned him back to Serie B side Catanzaro, where he had been playing.

Having only made three Serie A appearances for Verona before his loan at Catanzaro, Cisse’s performances in the Italian second tier caught Milan’s attention but even they would be shocked by the youngster’s rapid progress, which has made the €8m fee seem like a real bargain.

Italy's next star - Alphadjo Cisse 🌟

AC Milan's teenager is the youngest ever Italian to score a hat-trick in European competition and the third youngest in Europa League history 🔥 https://t.co/fgPqV5OLtK

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 16, 2026

Cisse netted six times in 22 games for Catanzaro and he returned to Milan in the summer where he instantly became a regular under new manager Ruben Amorim, particularly after scoring on his debut against Torino in August.

Five of Cisse’s seven appearances this season have been starts, showcasing how important he has been to Milan, but the hat-trick against Salzburg could potentially be the defining moment in his early career so far.

Although it is a small sample size of 243 minutes, data analytics firm SciSports rate Cisse as the standout attacking midfielder in Serie A this season, while the teenager’s value has more than doubled in the last month according to their Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm.

Cisse has featured for Italy’s youth teams and has four caps for the under-21 side but, if his performances continue, it is only a matter of time before he is handed his first senior call-up, with Roberto Mancini’s side desperate to bounce back after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

However, there is still much development to come for Cisse, with Amorim insisting after the match that there is more to come from the youngster, particularly with his fitness.

"My credit? He owes me nothing and deserves the space he's getting," Amorim said. "He can be explosive, he still needs to improve physically, so to speak, but he has a lot of heart. He still has to improve in training and in the game, but tonight, all the best goes to him. His hat trick is extraordinary, and he has enormous potential."

Should that happen, both Italy and Milan could finally have a talent capable of carrying them back to the glory days, although patience will need to be afforded to a player who is still learning and growing into a potential star.

Related stories:

€22m Chelsea signing approved by Lionel Messi

Arsenal serious about record-breaking signing after Champions League audition

Transfer Rumours: Michael Olise makes Arsenal decision as record-breaking demand revealed