Milan youngster Cisse aims to follow in the footsteps of Italy icon Balotelli

AC Milan's young star Alphadjo Cisse is aiming to follow in the footsteps of his idol Mario Balotelli as he prepares to wear the Italy senior national team shirt for the first time at San Siro this week.

Cisse, who has made a flying start to the season with Milan, has received the first senior call-up of his career ahead of Italy's Nations League matches against France and Belgium.

The young forward, who signed for Milan in February before seeing out the season on loan at Serie B side Catanzaro, has scored 8 goals in 13 appearances for the Rossoneri. Having started only 9 of those matches and spent a total of 659 minutes on the pitch, the 20-year-old talent is already the team's leading scorer.

Cisse, who shared his excitement at the prospect of playing for his country at a press conference, did not hesitate when asked to name his idol from Italy's history. "Without a doubt, I'd say Balotelli. He has always been a role model for me in the national team," he replied.

Balotelli scored 14 goals in 36 appearances for Italy, and the most memorable moment of his international career came with his historic goals against Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-final.

Cisse, who would make his international debut at San Siro, the home of his club, should he be given a chance against France, cannot wait for that moment:

"Our head coach will make the decision. Walking out at San Siro in the national team shirt would be much more special. I'm very ambitious and being part of the national team is a great source of pride for me. I'm strong enough to handle this pressure. We have many experienced players in our squad who have been here for many years and have been European champions. I have great respect for them, and we need to move forward step by step. My first aim is to make my debut, and we'll think about the rest later."

Italy, who have 7 points in League A Group 1 of the Nations League, will go top if they beat France; however, they also face a crucial test against Belgium to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals.