6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YACINE ADLI

AC Milan's new signing Yacine Adli is an atypical kind of player. Not just due to his versatility on the pitch but also for his eclectic tastes off it, which make him a true Artiste. Poetry and geometry on the pitch; culture, art and solidarity off it. Let's get to know our French midfielder a little bit better.

VILLEJUIF AND THE ASSOCIATION
Yacine was born in Vitry-sur-Seine, just a few kilometres away from Villejuif where he grew up - a place that remains in his heart to this day. His family still lives there, in fact. Adli is, like his hero Zinedine Zidane, of Algerian descent. He decided to found the Yacine Adli Association, which helps disadvantaged youths in the city. The association is founded on six "pillars of action": humanitarian, ecological, cultural, educational, sporting and administrative. As he said in his press conference, Yacine personally manages his NPO alongside his family and friends.

PIANO AND VIOLIN
With some encouragement from father Abdennour, Yacine had a well-rounded childhood, engaging not only in sporting activities. Alongside his two brothers and his sister, he attended a music academy and grew up playing the violin, before learning to play the piano, a passion that he shares with his sister. His life wasn't only about football, because was a keen swimmer and enjoyed judo as a child. And he still has a weakness for chess.

ZIDANE, JUNINHO AND BAGGIO
Two stars have guided Yacine so fare: Zidane and Juninho Pernambuco. The latter was Yacine's idol when he captained that fantastic Lyon side at the start of the 2000s, winning seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles. In the press conference, he also mentioned an anecdote involving two former Rossoneri: while he was in the PSG youth system, teammate Timothy Weah - son of George - advised him to study Roberto Baggio. 

SLEEPING AT THE STADIUM
"I wake up and I think about football. Before I go to bed, I think about football. I live and breath football." So our Yacine is a true football nut. And his first coach at Villejuif, Moulay Chebab, concurs: "One day, he said he wanted to sleep at the stadium so he could be ready for the game the day after."

TITI D'OR
Yacine has two major honours in his trophy cabinet: Ligue 1 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2017/18 with PSG, though he rarely featured. It should, however, be mentioned that he won the "Titi d'Or" in 2017 - the PSG academy's version of the Ballon d'Or. The prize was first awarded in 2007 and has since been won but some illustrious names in Kingsley Coman, Alphonse Areola, Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Diaby.

BANTER WITH HENRY
On 6 November, after Bordeaux's 3-2 defeat at home to PSG, Yacine received praise from one Thierry Henry, who was doing some punditry work for the game. "You were brave on the pitch and the World Cup is coming up in a year... Do we understand each other?" Adli's response was swift: "Challange accepted." Yacine hasn't yet made his debut with the France first team but AC Milan could be his springboard. 

The AC Milan 2022/23 season tickets are now available: #UnaStoriaUnica, see you at San Siro!