Teenage midfielder 'Alpha' Cisse catapulted into the limelight after scoring on Milan debut

MILAN (AP) — Teenager Alphadjo Cisse has spent most of the past week answering questions on how to pronounce his surname after being unexpectedly catapulted into the limelight on his AC Milan debut.

“Cisse, without the accent,” he has explained with a smile in several interviews.

Commentators have been scrambling to learn the correct pronunciation since the 19-year-old midfielder was given his first start for Milan and scored the opener as the Rossoneri kicked off their season with a 2-1 win at Torino on Sunday.

Fans just call him by his nickname: “Alpha.” And there were hundreds of them chanting just that as Cisse made an appearance at Milan’s flagship store on Wednesday.

“It’s an amazing feeling. Not even in a dream could I have imagined making my debut and scoring a goal,” Cisse said.

There was little fanfare when Cisse was signed by Milan from Hellas Verona for 8 million euros in February. The attacking midfielder was immediately lent back to second-division team Catanzaro, where he had been on loan from Verona.

Cisse was almost sent out on loan again in the summer but he excelled in preseason, convincing coach Ruben Amorim to keep him.

“The coach always gave me the chance to express myself, and he gave me this opportunity and we can say I’ve managed a bit to seize it,” Cisse said with a smile.

Milan’s next match is at home to Venezia on Friday.

Milan has reportedly told Fikayo Tomori, Youssouf Fofana and Santiago Giménez that they will not be part of the squad anymore even if the club has not managed to offload the trio before the transfer window closes next week.

Giménez looks set to move to Porto but Milan is holding out for more money, while Italian media reports there has been interest in Tomori and Fofana but no concrete offers.

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Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu watches during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Monza, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Juventus's Kenan Yildiz during the Serie A EniLive soccer match between Frosinone and Juventus in Frosinone, Italy, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Donyell Malen celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Roma and Fiorentina, in Rome, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Genoa's head coach Daniele De Rossi, right, and Napoli's head coach Massimiliano Allegri embrace during the Serie A soccer match between Genoa and Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)

Milan's Alphadjo Cisse celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal against Torino FC during a Serie A soccer match in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal jury on Friday found rapper Lil Durk not guilty of the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin.

The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting Lil Durk, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist best known for the 2023 hit “All My Life,” of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire.

Durk supporters including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered outside the courthouse.

Durk’s co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. But both were also acquitted of murder for hire.

“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson's attorney Craig Harbaugh said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”

Tillet Mills, Lindsey's lawyer, issued a similar statement Saturday, saying the jury saw that this “was never a murder for hire” and “the fight is not over.”

Attorneys for Durk did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, remained in custody, pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from this trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.

Prosecutors had alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone from Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk's and a member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.

The prosecution alleged that in August 2022, a group of men flew to Los Angeles with funds provided by Durk, followed Rondo and his crew around, and three gunmen fired on his Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles. Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.

“Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson’s death," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial."

Durk won a Grammy earlier that year for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” which features J. Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”

FILE - Lil Durk poses for a photo in the press room with the award for best melodic rap performance for "All My Life" by Lil Durk featuring J. Cole during the 66th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)