Ivorian Midfield Supremo Franck Kessie Voted Serie A's Best African Player

• AC Milan star midfielder Kessie has been voted the best African player in Serie A following his superb performance last season
• The 25-year-old was the protagonist as AC Milan won their first Italian Serie A title in eleven years
• Since joining Milan in 2019, Kessie has made 223 appearances for Milan, contributing 37 goals and 16 assists for the Italian giants

Cote d'Ivoire midfielder Franck Kessie has been voted the best African player in Serie A by the Calcio Ball Trade.

The award ceremony is an annual event organised in Ghana that celebrates the relationship between African and Italian football.

In the 2021/22 season in Italy's top flight, Kessie played 36 games and scored six goals.

And following his impressive performance for Milan, Kessie has been voted the best African player in Serie A last season.

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He is now free to sign pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs as his current deal is set to expire in the summer.

The Ivory Coast international initially joined on a two-year loan deal from Serie A rivals Atalanta with an obligation to buy.

He will leave the newly-crowned Italian champions when his contract expires next month, with Spanish giants Barcelona his expected destination, as per the BBC.

Who is Franck Kessie

Kessi was born in Ouragahio in the Ivory Coast and began his career with Stella Club before securing a move to Atalanta in 2014.

He made his senior debut with the Bergamo outfit but didn’t hit his prime until he went through loan spells with Cesena and then Milan. He joined Milan in a permanent deal in 2019.

He has since made 223 appearances for Milan, contributing 37 goals and 16 assists for the Italian giants. He served as a key part of the team that won the Scudetto this season.

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Kessie has also earned 52 caps for the Ivory Coast national team.

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West joined the Rossoneri from cross-town rivals Inter in December 1999 after falling out of favour during Marcello Lippi’s time in charge of the Nerazzurri.

But after playing just four games for Milan, the former Auxerre defender was loaned out to then-Premier League club Derby County in November 2000, and never returned to Italy again.