Djaoui Cisse: Why you should expect the unexpected from France U21s' new rising star

New York Times

5 hours ago

The beauty of international tournaments is often in the unexpected. Whether that be an underdog nation going on a run or a little-known player stealing the show, it is hard not to enjoy seeing talent flourish.
For this summer's Under-21 European Championship in Slovakia, France's Djaoui Cisse has been that player.
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At the beginning of this month, the graduate of Rennes' youth academy — who only made his first Ligue 1 start for them in February — was not even in the squad. When Stuttgart's Enzo Millot withdrew for family reasons on June 2, Cisse came in, and he could now be in line to start their semi-final against Germany tonight.
Here, The Athletic takes a look at the midfielder's rapid rise for club and country.
As a late call-up, Cisse unsurprisingly began the tournament on the bench, not featuring in the opening 0-0 draw with Portugal and getting just a few minutes of action at the end of the 3-2 win against Georgia on matchday two.
It was in the final group game, a 4-1 defeat of Poland, that head coach Gerald Baticle gave the 21-year-old his first start — and he did not disappoint, scoring twice, one with each foot, from outside the box in the space of 11 first-half minutes.
🚀 Pied droit, pied gauche… notre milieu de terrain 𝐃𝐣𝐚𝐨𝐮𝐢 𝐂𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞́ a envoyé 2️⃣ missiles depuis l'extérieur de la surface contre la Pologne 🤩#U21EURO pic.twitter.com/FPH5mnfHWf
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 18, 2025
That performance ensured he started the quarter-final against Denmark on Sunday.
Again, he took his chance to impress.
With France trailing 1-0 just before half-time, Cisse dribbled past challenges inside the box before slipping the ball through the goalkeeper's legs for the first equaliser in what ended as a 3-2 comeback win for France.
🇫🇷 Calm and composed finish Djaoui Cisse 😎#U21EURO pic.twitter.com/kuk2nwLftK
— UEFA Men's Youth (@UEFAMensYouth) June 23, 2025
These crucial goalscoring performances from a player who did not even feature in the opening group game cast Cisse as a surprise package — but that would be an understatement.
The midfielder had played only once, as an 89th-minute sub in their pre-tournament warm-up game against Uzbekistan Under-21s, at any level for France's youth teams before coming on in that second group match against Georgia, and only made his first start in senior club football for Rennes four months earlier.
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That start in a 1-0 win against Strasbourg at Rennes' Roazhon Park on February 2 came unexpectedly, because of senior midfielder Azor Matusiwa was ill. It was also Habib Beye's first match as Rennes' head coach.
The 47-year-old former Marseille, Newcastle United and Aston Villa full-back became the club's third manager of the season in late January, after the efforts of Julien Stephan and then Jorge Sampaoli had left them in Ligue 1's relegation play-off spot. The ex-Senegal international turned things around, however, to secure a 12th-place finish in the 18-team French top flight, eight points clear of trouble.
Cisse was in the opening line-up for all but one of the final 15 games of the season under Beye (the match he missed was through suspension) and was key to an instant uptake in form, helping Rennes win four of his first five starts in senior football.
In terms of what Cisse offers as a player, France have benefited from a licence to shoot from range that has been present since his second Ligue 1 start against Saint-Etienne, when he had three shots from outside the box.
That proved to be a precursor of what was to come for club and country, as he scored his first senior goal in his fifth league start — a 4-0 win away to Montpellier.
Receiving the ball from a short corner routine about 30 yards out, he takes one touch and fires a shot into the far corner to double Rennes' lead.
Wearing a wry smile, and looking down, as he ran to hug Beye on the touchline in celebration, there was a sense that this was normal for Cisse, even if he appeared a tad shy.
His manager backed that up after the win, saying: 'We've been encouraging more long-range efforts, and Cisse executed it perfectly.'
Beye added that Cisse's 'tactical understanding is impressive'.
That is one way to put it.
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He has sometimes been part of a young midfield pairing at Rennes, alongside 20-year-old Wales international Jordan James, when the more experienced Seko Fofana, 30, has not started.
Cisse's game understanding played just as big a role in him breaking into France's tournament squad as the goals he has scored following selection. Against both Georgia and Denmark, the subtlety in his touches when receiving the ball and some of the passes he saw were indicative of a midfielder more mature than his level of experience would suggest.
That is no coincidence.
Rennes' academy has had a strong reputation for producing elite talent for decades, with Ousmane Dembele, Eduardo Camavinga and Desire Doue just three examples of those to have come through their ranks in the past 10 years.
A key characteristic for all of them is that they play with personality.
While they may be deployed in different positions, they look to make things happen and are supremely comfortable on the ball. That combination makes them entertaining to watch because they can do the unexpected, which is a trait Cisse shares.
At 6ft 2in (188cm), Cisse is happy to put in a challenge, but also has the poise to pirouette away from tackles in midfield and find a pass, as he does below against Lens in March.
His frame at the moment is more lanky than well-built, with long legs contributing a lot to his height.
Even so, he has shown in Ligue 1 that he is able to ride challenges and use both feet to get out of trouble.
Below is an example against Marseille last month where he seemingly carries into danger, but shrugs off his opponent, uses his left foot to take the ball away from another and then moves it safely on to a team-mate with his right.
These moments are very different to his long-range curlers into the net, but show signs of a midfielder who could have great influence in his position.
His willingness to shoot feels like a throwback to years gone by, before teams became obsessed with scoring the perfect goal, while his technical ability in deep areas is a skill that is now coveted by many of Europe's top clubs. So far in Slovakia, that blend has elicited gasps and disbelieving chuckles, because he can produce an unexpected moment of class in an instant.
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Even if, like spectators at the Under-21 Euros, the sport's big beasts are becoming more aware of Cisse as a result of this tournament, Rennes are in a good position. They rewarded him with a new contract, which runs until 2029, in April. They are a club who sell well when they have to.
Jeremy Doku to Manchester City in 2023 is their record sale for €60million (£51.1m/$69.6m at the current rates). In terms of academy graduates, they sold Doue to Paris Saint-Germain for €50m last summer, Camavinga to Real Madrid for €31m in 2021 and Dembele to Borussia Dortmund for a reported €35m in 2016.
After his goal against Montpellier, Beye claimed Cisse 'doesn't surprise' those at Rennes because they see those skills every day in training.
That sentiment was shared by fellow Rennes academy graduate, Lorenz Assignon, who moved to German club Stuttgart for a reported €12million this month and told Ligue 1's website: 'You always see Rennes producing top young players. It just takes the right moment and the right coach. Djaoui has been working relentlessly, and now he's reaping the rewards.'
Cisse found the right moment with his club and grabbed it with both hands — and now is is doing the same for his country.