2 weeks ago
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Francesco Camarda’s rise continues, and a former AC Milan youth coach has revealed an anecdote involving Paolo Maldini.
He’s growing, and he’s growing fast. In the past two weeks, Camarda has scored his first Serie A goal for Lecce in Serie A in a 1-1 draw against Bologna, and his first goals for Italy U21 against Sweden (a chip from the penalty spot) and Armenia (a brace) in European Championship qualifiers.
The feeling is that things are just getting started for Camarda, and there’s still a long way to go as he knows, but the excitement is building nonetheless. He is currently on loan at Lecce, then next summer he will return to the team he’s supported since childhood to be evaluated again.
What Maldini did in 2023
Angelo Carbone – the former head of the youth sector at Milan, who now works at Sassuolo – has shed some light on Camarda’s development. In particular, he recalled what Maldini did so as not to draw any attention.
“The first time I saw him was at a seven-a-side football trial. He did things with incredible simplicity: direct and effective play, and decision-making beyond his years,” he told the BBC (via Calciomercato.com).
“You could see it in the way he used his body and received the ball: these are innate qualities. Even before the move reached the penalty area, he already knew where to position himself to get there first.
“I remember when, at 15, we called him up for the U18s to play a friendly against the first team. He was marked by Fikayo Tomori and scored straight away.
“Maldini [Milan’s technical director], who was watching, immediately asked for the Milan TV cameras to be turned off. Camarda wasn’t under contract yet and didn’t want foreign clubs to notice him.”
On July 20 of last year, Camarda signed a contract with Milan until 2027, with a salary of approximately €450,000. On July 7 this year – before moving to Lecce on loan with an option to buy and a buy-back – he renewed his contract until 2028.
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