Franck Kessié
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 06/2017

Personal information
Full name
Franck Yannick Kessié
Date of birth
19 December 1996 
Place of birth
Ouragahio, Ivory Coast
Height
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position
Midfielder

Club information
Current team
Milan
(on loan from Atalanta)
Number
19

Youth career

Stella Club
2010-2014

Atalanta
2015

Senior career

Stella Club
2014
10x apps / 3x goals

Atalanta
2015-
30x apps / 6x goals

→ Cesena (loan)
2015-2016
38x apps / 4x goals

→ Milan (loan)
2017-
0x apps / 0x goal

National team

Ivory Coast U17
2013
5x apps / 0x goal

Ivory Coast U20
2015
4x apps / 0x goal

Ivory Coast
2015-
15x apps / 0x goal

(* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 May 2017 - National team caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2017)

Franck Yannick Kessié is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Milan on loan from Atalanta.

Club career

Early career

Born in Ouragahio, Kessié began his career in Stella Club d'Adjamé, joining their youth setup in 2010. 

In 2014, he was promoted to the first team, appearing in ten matches and scoring three goals before departing in January 2015.

Atalanta

Youth
On 29 January 2015, Kessié signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Atalanta. 

He was assigned to the club's Primavera squad upon his arrival, and contributed with seven appearances for the side. 

His first match in Europe occurred on 1 March, as he started in a 2:0 away win against A.C. Milan Primavera.

On 18 April 2015 Kessié was called up to the first team for a match against Roma, but remained an unused substitute in the 1:1 draw the following day.

Cesena (loan)
On 26 August 2015, Kessié joined Cesena in the Serie B on a one-year loan deal.

He made his professional debut on 26 September, coming on as a substitute for Antonino Ragusa in a 0:0 away draw against Perugia.

Kessié scored his first professional goal on 31 October 2015, netting the last in a 2:0 home win against Virtus Lanciano.

He became an undisputed starter afterwards, appearing in 37 matches and scoring four goals as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.

Return to Atalanta

After returning from loan, Kessié was promoted to the first team by manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

After appearing with the main squad during the pre-season, he made his debut for La Dea on 13 August 2016, starting and scoring the last in a 3:0 Coppa Italia home win against Cremonese.

Six days later, he renewed his contract until 2021.

Kessié made his debut in the main category of Italian football on 21 August 2016, as he started and scored a brace in a 4:3 home loss against Lazio.

He scored another goal seven days later, in a 2:1 away defeat to Sampdoria.

Kessié subsequently became a mainstay in Gasperini's starting eleven, scoring the winners against Torino (2:1 home win) and Roma (2:1 home win), both through penalties. 

He also scored the equalizer against Empoli on 20 December 2016, with Marco D'Alessandro scoring a last-minute winner.

Milan (loan)
On 2 June 2017, Kessie joined fellow Serie A side Milan on a two-year loan deal with the obligation to buy.

International career

Kessié represented Ivory Coast at under-17 and under-20 levels, appearing in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2015 Toulon Tournament. 

During the former tournament, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation submitted a complaint to FIFA claiming that Kessié was aged 22 and not 16.

FIFA later denied that claim.

At the age of 17, Kessié played his first international game with the senior national team on 6 September 2014, starting in a 2:1 home win against Sierra Leone for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.

On 4 January 2017, he was included in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, starting in all matches as his side was knocked out in the group stage.