Yoann Cissé is one of two Lanestériens, with Gaëtan Courtet, to have signed a professional football contract. Aged 20, he currently plays for the AJ Auxerre club (Burgundy), which plays in Ligue 1. “I started playing at 4 and a half years old at AS Lanester, but I was too young and they didn't take me. My parents finally enrolled me at Cep Lorient,” says Yoann.
He will play there until 2016, alongside his studies at Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice school. At the age of 12, he was spotted by FC Lorient and played in their football school from U13 to U15. “In U14, I signed a non-solicitation contract to avoid being recruited. In 2019, I became an aspirant and I played in U17, U18 R1 then in U19 and a little in National 2, under the leadership of Benjamin Genton and Arnaud Le Lan,” specifies the Lanestérien, originally from the Penher district.
Five goals with the reserve team this season
On July 1, 2023, Yoann signed an apprenticeship contract with AJ Auxerre. “FC Lorient did not want to extend me. I did a trial at Auxerre, where my father knew the assistant coach of the pros. I also did tests in Lens and Dijon,” he says. The club is then in Ligue 2, but Yoann mainly plays in reserve (N2). On August 1, 2024, his contract changes and he becomes professional. He even played a few friendly matches with the first team of the Icaunais club, against Orléans, Troyes, Grenoble and Red Star.
Since then, Yoann Cissé has played mainly with the reserves, returning to National 3, but he nevertheless stood out during the first part of this season by scoring five goals. He plays number 8 or number 10, i.e. in midfield. His contract will end in June 2025. “My goal is to play in Ligue 1. But since I left here, I can go almost everywhere. What can bother me abroad is the language barrier,” explains the person concerned, who returned during the Christmas holidays to his hometown.
In Auxerre, he appreciates the local atmosphere. “The city lives for football. The supporters are fully behind the players. You feel that it’s a family between Auxerre, the club and the inhabitants.”
