The focus of AC Milan's recent attention has been on Djibril Cissé. Ruben Amorim confessed at a press conference that he "fell in love at first sight" with the young player who came through Verona's youth academy, and less than 48 hours later, this enthusiasm had spread throughout the Rossoneri. Now, as the Portuguese coach said, Cissé needs to keep his focus firmly on the pitch and not be swayed by external emotions. He is striving for something that seemed impossible just a few weeks ago: securing a starting position at Milan and even earning a call-up to the Italian national team.
Leo, witnessing the 19-year-old's brilliant performance, must have had his own thoughts. The Portuguese is currently still in limbo, while this young player has the opportunity to directly steal his role, making his absence almost imperceptible to the fans. If it were a vote now, fans might easily choose who to keep, but the decision isn't in their hands. Amorim actually predicted this dual-core competition long ago. Around the time of the Assumption of Mary, after Milan's friendly victory over Manchester United and Cissé's goal, he said:
“Leo is one of us. I’ve already said we’re happy to have him; he’s a very expensive player. So we’ll see, but he has to compete. I think, based on Cissé’s performance in that game, he’ll make things more difficult.”
Right now, Leo might need to take a few more climbing lessons.
Milan's Mancini is focused on Cissé, but the situation is different for Pulisic. Once he's fully recovered, he should theoretically still be ranked ahead of Alfagio. However, the aforementioned assessment also applies to the American player: Cissé is currently on the rise in both physical condition and match enthusiasm. The player who can truly challenge him in the rankings won't be last season's Pulisic, but rather the familiar "Captain America" version at the San Siro, not the slump of the 25/26 season.
Meanwhile, there is another person who is paying special attention to this young Italian player of Guinean descent but born in Treviso: Roberto Mancini, the national team coach who is currently searching for new talent, hoping to revitalize Italian football, perform well in the UEFA Nations League, qualify for the European Championship, and, more importantly, return to the World Cup after a three-time absence.
Cissé's international appearances to date include appearances for the 16, 18, and 19-year-old national teams, as well as two appearances for the U21 national team. Silvio Baldini called him up for the November 2025 international break, playing against Poland and Montenegro, bringing him on as a substitute late in both matches. In both games, he played as a striker, replacing his current club teammate, Camalda.
Now, with Amorim redesigning his role, he may become a valuable asset for Mancini, providing the national team with impact, energy, and goals. People are only just beginning to recognize him; if he continues to play like this, the "Alpha effect" brought by Cissé might be one of the few pieces of good news for Italian football in recent months.
