Francesco Camarda has already secured his place in the history books.
At 15 years, eight months and 15 days, the AC Milan striker became the youngest player in the history of the Italian Serie A on Saturday – but for his coach that was just the beginning.
“He brought us his talent and his freshness. This is the first of many small steps that he has to take on his path,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli after his team’s 1-0 (1-0) win against AC Florence. Camarda came on as a substitute for former Bundesliga striker Luka Jovic in the 83rd minute.
“He’s humble, he works hard and he knows this is just the beginning,” Pioli added. And captain Davide Calabria also praised his young teammate: “He has a lot of talent, he is an intelligent person, he understands that he has to work even harder than the others.”
Camarda’s deployment was only possible thanks to an exemption from the Italian football association FIGC. Milan had several attackers unavailable for the duel with Fiorentina. Pioli was unable to rely on Rafael Leao or Noah Okafor due to injury, and Olivier Giroud was also missing due to a red card suspension.
Camarda, who has nine points in 13 competitive games for Milan’s U19s this season, is considered a huge talent in Italy. The center forward broke numerous youth records, including scoring 483 goals in 87 games in his first three years for Milan between 2017 and 2020.