Franck Kessié has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in Serie A. He has skillfully used his superior physical attributes such as stamina and strength to bring more bite to the midfield. His powerful shots from deep and through the center of the field add an extra dimension to his teams’ attacking play. Franck Kessié was so good that he had ties to European greats like Manchester United and Chelsea.

Born name

Franck Yannick Kessie

nickname

The new Yaya Toure

Sun sign

Protect

Place of birth

Ouragahio, Ivory Coast

nationality

training

Franck Kessié honed his football skills at Stella Club d’Adjamé .

occupation

Professional soccer player

family

• Father – His father was a professional soccer player who later joined the Ivory Coast Army.
• mother – unknown
• Siblings – unknown

Manager

Franck Kessié is represented by George Atangana.

Position

midfield player

Shirt Number

30 – AC Cesena

98, 19 – Atalanta BC

79 – AC Milan

8, 7, 11, 14 – Ivory Coast national team

To build

Athletic

Height

6ft or 183cm

weight

82 kg or 181 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Franck Kessié wants to keep the focus on his game and therefore prefers to keep his private life away from the public which makes it difficult for us to say anything about his love life.

race/ethnicity

Schwarz

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

Schwarz

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Impose physical presence

brand promotion

Franck Kessié has signed an endorsement deal with Nike . According to the terms of the deal, he is required to wear Nike shoes for his professional matches.

He also has a sponsorship deal with SoBe Sport .

Religion

Islam

Known for

One of the most promising young midfielders in Serie A, he has established himself as a key cog in the AC Milan side. In his first season at the club, he missed just one game in the league campaign.

First football game

In September 2015, Franck Kessié made his professional debut with Cesena in a Serie B match against Perugia . He was sent as a replacement for Antonino Ragusa.

In August 2016, he made his first appearance for Atalanta in the home game against Coppa Italia Cremonese . He scored the last goal in his team’s 3-0 win.

In July 2017, Franck made his debut for AC Milan in the first leg of Europa League qualifier against Romanian club, CS U Craiova .

In September 2014, he made his international debut for Ivory Coast national team in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone. His team won the home game 2-1.

Strengthen

• Strength
• persistence
• Working speed
• pass
• Energy
• positioning

weaknesses

• concentration
• tackle
• recording accuracy

Franck Kessié favorite things

• Traumclub – Manchester United
• Inspiration – Michael Essien

Franck Kessié facts

1. In January 2015, he joined the Serie A club at Atalanta on a 3-year deal. Kessie, 16, was transferred to the club’s Primavera squad.
2. He came to Cesena on a one-year loan deal. He soon established himself as a first-choice midfielder and made 37 appearances in Serie B. He also scored 4 goals, but his team missed out on promotion to Serie A after losing the playoffs.
3. Kessié scored his first professional goal in October 2015 when he scored his side’s second goal in a 2–0 win over Virtus Lanciano .
4. In August 2016 he renewed his contract with Atalanta extending his stay at the club until 2021. A few days later, he proved why the club were keen to offer him a new contract when he scored a brace on his Serie A debut. However, he ended up a loser Lazio won 4-3.
5. When he scored his sixth goal for Atalanta in the 2016/17 season, he became the youngest player in Europe’s top flight to achieve the goal.
6. At the beginning of his career he played as a central defender. It was Cesena’s coach Massimo Drago who decided to let him play in midfield in his only season.
7. In June 2017, Franck joined AC Milan on a 2-year loan deal with an obligation to purchase once the loan agreement expired. In that transfer window, the Milan club had spent €200m to help the club become world champions.
8. He scored his first goal for AC Milan in August 2017. He pocketed a penalty in Milan ‘s first Serie A game against Crotone . Milan comfortably won the game 3-0.
9. He often celebrates after a hit with a military salute in tribute to his late father, who passed away at the age of 11.
10. During the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation objected to Kessie’s age as he was 22 instead of 16. FIFA dismissed their claims and confirmed that he was in fact 16 years old.
11. Follow Franck Kessié on Facebook and Instagram.