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Francesco Camarda
Italian footballer (born 2008) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Francesco Camarda (born 10 March 2008)[1] is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Lecce on loan from AC Milan.
At 15 years and 260 days, he is the youngest debutant in Serie A history, while at 16 years and 226 days, he is the youngest Italian debutant in the UEFA Champions League.
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Early life
Camarda was born in Milan, Italy. As a child, he also took an interest in kickboxing.[2]
Club career
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AC Milan
Youth
Camarda started his career with Afforese, a football school in Affori, Milan, where he grew up.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2]
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.[2] His prolific form continued as he progressed through the academy, and he went on to score 22 goals in 24 games for AC Milan's under-15 side, leading them to the under-15 Scudetto title.[3]
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.[4][5][6][7][8] 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.[9][10]
Camarda made his UEFA Youth League debut against Newcastle United on 19 September 2023, scoring a brace in a 4–0 victory.[11] 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.[12][13]
Senior
In November 2023, amid an injury crisis, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli called up Camarda as part of the first team squad for the Serie A game against Fiorentina on 25 November 2023; in order to do so, the club had to specifically request an authorization from the Italian Football Federation, as under-16 players are normally not allowed to be part of an Italian first team.[14] He was eventually substituted on for Luka Jović in the 83rd minute, becoming the youngest Serie A footballer ever at 15 years, 260 days of age.[15][16][17]
Camarda made his debut for the newly created reserve team Milan Futuro on 10 August 2024, starting for a 3–0 away win Coppa Italia Serie C first round match against Lecco.[18]
On 17 August 2024, he scored the two goals of a 2–1 Milan Futuro away win Coppa Italia Serie C round of 16 match against Novara.[19]
Camarda became the youngest Italian to debut in the Champions League at 16 years and 226 days, 42 days younger than previous record holder Moise Kean, and the seventh youngest player in the competition's history,[20] after coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute against Club Brugge on 22 October 2024.[21] Appearing to score within minutes of being introduced, Camarda's goal was subsequently disallowed for offside following a VAR check, but he still received a yellow card for having celebrated by removing his shirt.[22]
Loan to Lecce
On 7 July 2025, Camarda joined fellow Serie A club Lecce on loan for the 2025–26 season, with an option to make the move permanent.[23]
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International career
Camarda has represented Italy at under-15,[24] under-16,[25] and under-17 levels.[26]
With the U17 side he won the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, in which he scored four goals and was named Player of the Tournament.[27] In the same year, with the Italy U19 he also took part in the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, in which he scored two goals.[28]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2025[29]
- Notes
- Appearance in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in Coppa Italia Serie C
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Honours
AC Milan
Italy U17
Individual
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Player of the Tournament: 2024[31]
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2024[32]
References
External links
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