Francesco Camarda

Francesco Camarda (born 10 March 2008) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club AC Milan U19.

Francesco Camarda
Personal information
Date of birth (2008-03-10) 10 March 2008
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 AC Milan U19
Number 9
Youth career
2014–2015 Afforese
2015– AC Milan
International career‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Italy U15 9 (6)
2022–2023 Italy U16 7 (3)
2023– Italy U17 5 (3)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 September 2023

Early life

Camarda was born in Milan, Italy. As a child he also took an interest in kickboxing.[1]

Club career

Camarda started his career with G.S.D Afforese, a football school in Milan.[1] During his time with Afforese, he trained with the academy of professional side AC Milan, and went on to join the club permanently in 2015, after just over a year with Afforese.[1] In his first training session with AC Milan, he was deployed as a defender, but after continually dribbling through the opposition teams and scoring, he was moved up front to play as a striker.[1]

During his time in the academy of AC Milan, Camarda established himself as a prolific goal-scorer; at an under-9 tournament in Vienna, Austria, he was taken off due to injury with his side 2–0 down to German opposition Bayern Munich. He asked his coach to return to the field, and went on to score two goals and provide an assist in the eventual 3–2 win.[1] His prolific form continued as he progressed through the academy, and he went on to score twenty-two goals in twenty-four games for AC Milan's under-15 side, leading them to the under-15 Scudetto title.[2]

Eventually, his goal-scoring feats drew the attention of international media, and he was lauded for having scored 485 goals in only 89 matches for AC Milan's academy, an average of 5.45 goals per game.[3][4][5][6][7] He trained with AC Milan's under-19 side at the age of fourteen, and scored two goals for the side in a friendly win against Eccellenza team Solbiatese.[8][9]

Camarda made his UEFA Youth League debut against Newcastle United on 19 September 2023, scoring a brace in a 4–0 victory.[10] These goals made Camarda the second-youngest player to score a brace in the tournament and the youngest-ever Italian goalscorer at 15 years, 193 days, breaking Fabrizio Caligara's record of 16 years, 189 days.[11][12]

International career

Camarda has represented Italy at under-15,[13] under-16,[14] and under-17 level.[15]

References
  1. Carzaniga, Dennis (14 July 2022). "Camarda, il momento in cui tutto ebbe inizio: "Vieni a dare due calci al pallone invece che alla rete?"" [Camarda, the moment it all began: "Are you coming to kick the ball instead of the net?"]. sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  2. Barilaro, Andrea (25 June 2022). "Francesco Camarda, il predestinato: "Sogno la Serie A con il Milan. Scudetto? Emozione incredibile"" [Francesco Camarda, the predestined: "I dream of Serie A with Milan. Scudetto? Incredible emotion"]. sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. "Fixem esta cara: Francesco Camarda tem 14 anos e está a chegar aos... 500 golos" [Look at this face: Francesco Camarda is 14 years old and is reaching... 500 goals]. record.pt (in Portuguese). 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  4. Pietrella, Francesco (25 December 2022). "A 14 anni fa già gol in Primavera: chi è Camarda, il tesoro custodito dal Milan" [At the age of 14 he already scored in the Primavera: who is Camarda, the treasure guarded by Milan]. gazzetta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 March 2023. (subscription required)
  5. "Francesco Camarda, el chico de 14 años que juega en Milan y tiene un récord increíble: hizo 485 goles en 89 partidos" [Francesco Camarda, the 14-year-old boy who plays for Milan and has an incredible record: he scored 485 goals in 89 games]. lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 25 December 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. Cardenas C., Renato (17 January 2023). "Pelé le queda chico: Camarda, la 'joya' del Milan que lleva más de 500 goles con 14 años" [Pelé is too small for him: Camarda, the 'jewel' of Milan who has scored more than 500 goals at the age of 14]. depor.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. Hartmann, Florian (1 March 2023). "485 Tore in 89 Spielen! Das ist Italiens neuer Wunder-Stürmer" [485 goals in 89 games! This is Italy's new miracle striker]. sport.sky.de (in German). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. Asahara, Makoto (22 December 2022). "14-åringens osannolika statistik – 5.4 mål per match" [The 14-year-old's improbable statistics – 5.4 goals per game]. aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  9. Cruz Valdivia, Christian (26 December 2022). "Francesco Camarda, el jugador de 14 años destinado a romper récords: lleva más de 500 goles en un centenar de partidos" [Francesco Camarda, the 14-year-old player destined to break records: he has scored more than 500 goals in a hundred games]. elcomercio.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  10. Mzoughi, Wajih (2023-09-19). "Francesco Camarda's brace vs Newcastle; the player achieves an incredible record in the UEFA Youth League competition". Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  11. "Camarda breaks Italian record with Youth League goals against Newcastle". SempreMilancom. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  12. Heyes, Apollo (2023-09-19). "Milan starlet Camarda breaks record in Youth League win over Newcastle". Football Italia. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  13. "Francesco Camarda". FIGC U15 profile (in Italian). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  14. "Francesco Camarda". FIGC U16 profile (in Italian). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  15. "Francesco Camarda". FIGC U17 profile (in Italian). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
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