By Caroly Kipkoech
Franck Yannick Kessié is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and the Ivory Coast national team. Kessié was born on 19 December 1996 in Ouragahio, a small town in the southern part of the West African nation. Kessie’s father was also an ex-pro footballer.
Growing up, he idolized Yaya Toure. “I followed his path, even though I went further because my dad never played in Europe,” he told rossoneriblog.com. “Also, my role [midfield] is more or less the same as his.”
At 14, he was already playing for the youth team of Stella Club d’Adjamé in the capital Abidjan and joined their first team four years later.
The Atalanta journey
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. He played his first match in Europe on 1 March, as he started in a 2–0 away win against AC Milan Primavera.
On 18 April 2015, Kessie received his first call-up to the first team but he remained an unused substitute in a 1-1 draw against Serie A side Roma. On 26 August 2015, Kessie made a loan switch to Serie B side Cesena, he made his debut a month later, coming on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Perugia.
The Ivorian scored his first professional goal on 31 October 2015 in a game which his side won 2-0 against Virtus Lanciano. Thereafter, Kessie became an undisputed starter, featuring in 37 games that season and finding the net four times; regrettably, his side missed out on promotion in the playoffs.
After his loan spell at the Serie B outfit, he returned to Atalanta and got direct promotion to the first team by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. He made his La Dea debut on 13 August 2016 where he scored last in a 3-0 Copa Italia game against Cremonense. Six days later, he penned down a contract extension that would see him stay at the Italian outfit until 2021.
Kessie made his Italian top-flight debut on 21 August 2016, as he started and scored a brace in a 4–3 home loss against Lazio. Throughout that season, the Ivorian became a key member of Gasperini’s side and started nearly all matches.
The AC Milan spell
On 2 June 2017, Kessie joined Serie A rivals AC Milan, on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy. Upon joining AC Milan, he chose the shirt number 19 but was later convinced by the club’s management to surrender it to the legendary Leonardo Bonucci, he later opted for the number 79.
During his time in Milan, he helped the club get back to the UEFA Champions League in 2021-22 after an eight-year absence. Kessie also became the first player to score at least 10 penalties for AC Milan in a Serie A season since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2011–12.
On 22 May 2022, Kessié scored the third goal in a 3–0 rout against Sassuolo, sealing the Scudetto title for the club. After the goal, Kessié went to Milan fans at the Mapei Stadium and did his trademark salute. It was Kessié’s last match and goal with Milan, as he announced his departure a few days later and thanked the fans.
Barcelona Career
On 4 July 2022, Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement with Kessié after his contract expired with AC Milan. On 6 July, he signed a four-year deal until 30 June 2026, and his buyout was set at €500m.
On 13 August 2022, he made his debut for the club, and came on as a substitute to Pedri, in a 0–0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in the league. On 19 March 2023, Kessié scored the winning goal against Real Madrid in El Clasico, his first for the club, hitting home Alejandro Balde’s cutback in the 92nd minute to make it 2–1 for the Blaugrana. Kessié’s strike was the 3,000th goal scored by Barcelona at the Camp Nou in La Liga.
Al Ahli
On 9 August 2023, Kessié joined Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli in a €12.5m deal. So far he has 10 goals and four assists to his name in 31 matches.
International Career
Kessié represented Ivory Coast from the age of 17 where he 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 AFCON qualifiers. On 4 January 2017, he was included in the 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.
At the AFCON 2019, he finished as the joint-top assist provider of the tournament, alongside Ismaël Bennacer, with three assists. Ivory Coast were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Algeria after losing 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw on 11 July.
In December 2023, Kessié was named in the Ivory Coast’s squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he captained the team throughout the tournament. During the round of 16 match against defending champions Senegal, he came off the bench in the second half and scored the equaliser from the spot in the 86th minute, resulting in a 1–1 tie. He eventually netted the last penalty in the shoot-outs, securing a 5–4 win and qualifying his country to the quarter-finals. In the final match against Nigeria, he later scored a goal, contributing to a 2–1 victory.
