Alphadjo Cisse scored the first hat-trick of his professional career away against RB Salzburg in the Europa League on Thursday evening, and in doing so, became the youngest Italian player to score three or more goals in a competitive European fixture.
Cisse the youngest ever Italian to score a hat-trick in Europe
Cisse’s majestic start to the 2026-27 season continued on Thursday night with a hat-trick within 50 minutes against RB Salzburg in the Europa League, bringing his individual tally up to five goals in his first seven games for Milan.
He also scored the late, crucial winner in a 1-0 victory for Italy U21s in their penultimate match of qualification for the 2027 European Championships in September as well.
Opta have confirmed that Cisse is the youngest Italian player to score a hat-trick in a major European competition, aged 19 years and 358 days old at the time of the RB Salzburg match.
Cisse, born in 2006, was not even alive the last time a Milan player scored a hat-trick in a competitive European fixture. That came in 2002, courtesy of Filippo Inzaghi in a 4-0 Champions League win over Deportivo La Coruna.