Francesco Camarda is considered the hottest prospect at AC Milan. At just 16 years old, the striker is breaking records left and right – and will set the next one on Saturday.
The youngest player to have played in the Serie A is Francesco Camarda long ago – about a year ago, on November 25, 2023, the striker made his debut for Milan in a 1-0 win over Florence at the age of just 15 years and 260 days.
A meteoric rise, as many had predicted, did not materialize for him, but he steadily improved and played his way onto the radar of coach Paulo Fonseca during the current season.
In October, the Portuguese gave the teenager his chance, first with a brief appearance in the Champions League against Bruges (3-1) and then a few minutes against Napoli (2-0).
Camarda and “the best day of my life”
But the game against Bruges was a very special one, because for Camarda it was the “best day of my life”. For the rest of the world, it was the day when the youngster became the youngest Italian to ever play in the Champions League – he beat Moise Kean’s record by 42 days.
There is no question that the Milan native is already celebrated at San Siro, also because of his attitude. Camarda is usually modest. “Milan Futuro, Youth League, whatever comes, I’ll take it. There will be no shortage of opportunities,” he said about playing time.
Serie A instead of Milan Futuro
But now it should be Serie A – and straight into the starting lineup. Fonseca has already confirmed that Camarda will start against Cagliari on Saturday. The 16-year-old will play because Alvaro Morata suffered a head injury in training on Thursday after colliding with Strahinja Pavlovic, and will therefore be out, as will Tammy Abraham, who is not fully fit.
“Camarda will start tomorrow,” confirmed Fonseca, adding: ‘For me, that’s no surprise because he trains with us every day. Everyone at the club believes in him. He trains well and shows his qualities.’
The Portuguese is also giving the youngster a chance because he is more likely to replace Morata than Abraham. “Morata has a special role, he doesn’t always play as a striker, but rather goes back down the pitch again and again. I believe that Camarda can fill that role better than Tammy, who is more of a worker. I have faith in Camarda, he’s young but already very mature and, more importantly, he’s fearless. When it comes to aggression and courage, he’s like a 25-year-old. He can help the defense and I’ve never had a dilemma about who will replace Morata.”
Camarda will be exactly 16 years and 241 days old on Saturday – and thus exactly one day younger than Milan’s previous age record, which Gianluigi Donnarumma (15 years, 240 days) set about ten years ago, since the introduction of the three-point rule.
