Catanzaro director: We waited a month to sign Cisse, he plays like a veteran

Catanzaro sporting director Ciro Polito gave an exclusive interview to Milan News reporter Lorenzo De Angelis and discussed various topics regarding former Catanzaro player Alfacjo Cisse, who has joined Milan.

First, I want to ask you: you worked with him at Catanzaro last season. In your eyes, what kind of kid is he? On the pitch we see him as extremely calm, even somewhat quiet, composed and independent, but for someone like you who spent every day with him in the dressing room, what is his true personality like?

How can I put it? He is a kid who usually does not talk much, but at the same time he is very likable and has a great sense of humor. He is very smart and sharp. You know how I would describe him? He likes joking around, he is very popular and loved within the team, and he is a very serious and hardworking young player.

The huge impact Cisse has had on Serie A, especially on Milan... after all, he joined in an extremely low-key manner. People even thought he might be sent out on loan, but eventually he almost became an undisputed starter in Ruben Amorim's lineup. Considering this, he had also previously suffered a serious injury...

After that serious injury, people's first thought was often that he had lost his opportunity. However, later he met a great coach (Amorim), who completely ignored the fact that he had missed the previous five months at Catanzaro because of injury. The coach observed him, recognized his talent and decisively put him into the starting lineup.

If you ask me, 'Did you expect him to make such a huge impact?' I can tell you that, in my opinion, his ability was already extremely strong. Of course, life also requires some luck, being in the right place at the right time. But when I signed him, many people inside the club questioned me at one point because I had to wait a full month to resolve his contract situation, yet I waited for him from beginning to end. Even though we already had many players in the squad, I still had to say that I had to sign him no matter what, because he was a very strong player. We would wait and see what happened afterward.

Even I did not expect him to explode with such incredible power immediately. In his first five months with us, he was almost carrying matches by himself. Yes, he showed excellent numbers, impressive skills, great talent in finishing, an understanding of how to strike the ball, outstanding physical qualities and all the traits of a top player. So young players must be given opportunities. If you do not watch them on the pitch, you will never know what amazing things they can show.

Indeed. In your opinion, what is Cisse's most outstanding technical quality? Personally, watching his recent matches, I think he is extremely strong when receiving the ball with his back to goal under pressure. Opponents almost cannot take the ball away from him, which is truly impressive...

When he receives the ball with his back to goal and drops into midfield, he makes many amazing moves. He can control the ball, use feints and beat defenders three times in a row, forcing opponents to eventually give up the challenge, and then he accelerates powerfully, leaving them unable to catch him. But what you described, he could do it at Milan and he could do it at Catanzaro as well. He is a player with many excellent qualities. He has top-level finishing, outstanding ball control and first-touch ability, with extraordinary talent.

In fact, what he has shown is not accidental. For example, the goal he scored against Juventus: he had his back to goal, and look, he did not even look at the goal before accurately placing the ball into the corner. That was the work of a top-class star.

Yes, and overall it was also a technically brilliant goal. His touch on that occasion, using almost the inside of his left foot, was completed with such precision that it was as if he had a glove on his foot...

Yes, completely correct, exactly. His first touch control is incredibly strong, and his physical frame and structure are also excellent. He is a player who—no, he is truly an exceptional player, excellent on top of excellent.

If you had to describe him to Milan fans with three adjectives, which three would you choose? Even fewer would be fine, and if you prefer, just one word is enough...

But he plays football like a veteran. He can make all complicated actions look easy. He has unmatched talent. I can tell you the word is 'talent', and he also has extremely strong 'qualities and character'. He does not seem to feel any pressure at all from playing for Milan. To me, the way he plays at Milan is exactly the same as when he played at Catanzaro. That is pure talent, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Of course, seeing two talents like Cisse and Liberali, who previously played for Catanzaro, now joining two major Serie A clubs, how proud and satisfied must everyone at Catanzaro be?

And there is also Favasuli, do not forget him.

Yes, Favasuli went to Napoli, exactly. I was thinking about the Milan context because Milan also strongly pursued Liberali this summer, but he eventually went to Como...

I know, I know. Honestly, the three of them are a huge source of pride for us. Personally, as the person who found them, looked after them and did everything possible to sign them at the club, it gives me enormous satisfaction and a great sense of achievement. Things like this do not happen all the time. You could never have imagined before that these kids would all be playing for Italy's top clubs within just seven or eight months. It is also excellent for Italian football as a whole because they are all young Italian talents. You can see that if they are given opportunities to play, they can prove their ability.

Regarding Liberali, did you expect this summer that he would choose Como instead of Milan? Do you think Liberali made the right decision by joining Como?

I do not really know whether it was right or wrong. Milan truly made every effort at the time to sign him back. In my opinion, this may have been because of how he had previously been treated, or because of some matter of principle. But that is simply the reality, and I also told them about these circumstances. Even so, Milan showed their determination to bring him in at all costs. So if he had gone to Milan then, perhaps today he would be playing for Milan, and maybe even be an unquestioned starter... We will never know. But this was their own choice. Whether the choice was right or wrong, time will provide the answer. That is the reality.