Liverpool’s academy has always been a place of dreams, a place where young boys turn into men, and men into legends. It is a system that has created warriors for Anfield, names that echo across football history. When fans talk about Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen or Jamie Carragher, they speak with pride because these players were not just great talents, they were homegrown heroes. They carried the Scouse heartbeat on the pitch, and for decades the Liverpool academy has remained a pipeline of talent that keeps the flame burning. But today, the story is different, because while Rio Ngumoha is already making headlines as one of the brightest teenage stars in English football, another young name is starting to rise from the shadows, and his story carries with it a touch of nostalgia. The boy is Prince Kobe Cisse, the son of Premier League cult hero Djibril Cisse, and he is walking the same path his father once did, wearing Liverpool red, dreaming of glory, but with his own twist to the tale.
The story of Prince Kobe cannot be told without revisiting his father’s journey. Back in 2004, Liverpool fans were buzzing with excitement when the club paid a record £14 million to Auxerre to bring Djibril Cisse to England. His reputation was clear. He was a goalscorer, a sprinter, a man with blonde-dyed hair and an aura of fearlessness. Cisse was a showman on the pitch, quick and direct, loved for his energy and his fire. In his three years at Anfield, he scored 24 goals in 79 games and played his part in one of the greatest nights in football history—the miracle of Istanbul in 2005. Even though his career at Liverpool never exploded in the way some expected, he became a cult figure, remembered not just for his goals but for his attitude and style. He was also remembered for his resilience, surviving horrific leg breaks and always coming back stronger. For many Liverpool fans, Djibril Cisse was never forgotten.
Now, two decades later, his son has arrived in the very same academy where legends are made. Prince Kobe Cisse might only be 16, but already there is something about him that makes fans, coaches and scouts take notice. He is tall, strong, technically gifted and versatile. The most fascinating part of his story is that he did not start his Liverpool career in defence. Like his father, he began as a winger, gliding forward with the ball, attacking defenders, using pace and skill to hurt opponents. But as the months passed, the coaches saw something else in him. They decided to transform him into a centre-back, a move that at first shocked many, but now looks like a masterstroke.
Liverpool’s academy has done this before. Trent Alexander-Arnold, now one of the most creative right-backs in world football, was once a midfielder. The academy staff have always had the courage to take bold decisions, to move players into roles that suit their development, and with Prince Kobe Cisse, they believed his physique, awareness and reading of the game could be better used in defence. And so the boy who once dreamt of scoring goals is now learning to stop them. The transformation is still fresh, but the numbers already prove why the coaches made the switch. Prince Kobe has been winning over 60% of his defensive duels, averaging nearly 13 recoveries a game and over six interceptions per match. These are extraordinary statistics for a teenager, and they show maturity beyond his age.
But he has not lost all his attacking instincts. Even as a centre-back, Prince Kobe continues to contribute going forward. He averages nearly 20 forward passes per game, showing that his roots as an attacker are still alive. This dual ability—to defend strongly but also to build attacks—makes him a modern defender, the kind every top team craves in the current game. For Liverpool, it is a blessing. In Prince Kobe they do not just see the son of a cult hero, they see a player who could grow into something even greater.
His name is starting to spread through whispers among supporters. At Kirkby, where Liverpool’s academy stars train, fans who watch the youth teams are already speaking about him with excitement. He carries himself with confidence but without arrogance. Coaches describe him as hardworking, respectful and eager to learn. And whenever the surname “Cisse” is mentioned, Liverpool supporters smile, remembering the wild celebrations of Djibril, and now imagining a new chapter written by his son.
Rio Ngumoha has taken much of the spotlight this season, and rightly so. At just 16 years old, Ngumoha is already making appearances for the senior team, dazzling with skill and confidence. But behind him, Prince Kobe is developing at the perfect pace, away from too much pressure but still on the radar of those who matter. Liverpool know they cannot rush these players, but they also know the modern game waits for no one. If Prince Kobe continues on this trajectory, it will not be long before he is invited into the first-team environment, training with the stars, learning from Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. Imagine a boy learning his trade next to Van Dijk, the greatest defender of this generation. The thought alone excites Liverpool supporters.
There is also a symbolic beauty to this story. Djibril Cisse once wore the Liverpool shirt with pride, and now his son is wearing it too, not because of his surname, but because he has earned his place. Football is full of second-generation stories, where sons try to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Some fail under the weight of the name, some succeed and even surpass their parents. Prince Kobe’s challenge will be to take the Cisse name and give it a new meaning at Anfield. His father was remembered as a cult hero, a fighter, a man of moments. Prince Kobe could be remembered as something even bigger: a leader, a mainstay, a defender who anchors Liverpool for years to come.
The academy staff believe in him. They believe his mix of physical power, tactical understanding and technical ability can turn him into a complete defender. They point to his intelligence, his reading of the game and his calmness under pressure as qualities that cannot be taught easily. For a 16-year-old, those traits are rare. And Liverpool’s academy knows how to polish rare gems.
Supporters too are starting to whisper his name. On social media, clips of his performances are spreading. Fans debate how soon he might break through, some calling him the “next big thing” in Liverpool’s academy. For many, the idea of a Cisse once again walking out at Anfield is almost poetic. Football loves a good story, and this one is writing itself.
Of course, it is still early days. Many academy stars shine at youth level but struggle when the time comes for senior football. The step up is brutal, the pressure at Anfield is enormous, and not every talent survives the journey. But the encouraging sign is that Prince Kobe seems to have the right mentality. He is not trying to live off his father’s reputation, he is writing his own. He is not desperate for attention, he is patient. Those who know him describe him as focused and humble, traits that often separate those who make it from those who fade away.
Liverpool’s academy has always thrived because it balances history with modernity. It respects the past but prepares players for the future. In Prince Kobe Cisse, the academy sees both: a link to the past in his father’s legacy, and a vision of the future in his own potential. The next few years will be crucial. If he continues to grow, to learn, to dominate at youth level, he could soon find himself in the same conversations as Gerrard, Fowler, Owen and Carragher once did when they were teenagers.
For now, Liverpool fans will watch, wait and dream. They will watch Rio Ngumoha dazzling, they will watch Prince Kobe defending, and they will dream of a future where both boys walk out at Anfield together, side by side, wearing the red shirt, carrying the hopes of millions. The thought of Ngumoha attacking and Prince Kobe defending is enough to make Liverpool fans believe that the next golden generation might already be here.
Djibril Cisse himself will be proud. The man who once lifted the Champions League trophy with Liverpool now has a son who might one day do the same. Football is a circle, and sometimes the circle closes in the most beautiful way. For Liverpool, the circle of the Cisse family might just be about to give them another hero.
