During these summer weeks, the Rossoneri fans, between the transfer market and friendlies of Max Allegri’s new Milan, have always kept an eye not only on their own team but also on Francesco Camarda. The 2008-born player, after a bewildering and not particularly well-organized season split between the Primavera, Milan Futuro, and the First Team, chose to go out on loan in order to play with more continuity in Serie A and finally put himself to the test with the highest level of our football.
The striker has been loaned to Lecce with an option to buy and a buy-back clause, plus various bonuses in favor of the Salentini depending on the goals and assists that Francesco will produce: Lecce is incentivized to give value to a player that is not theirs, Camarda goes to play in a very important Serie A environment known for its excellent work with young players, and Milan, who after an eighth-place finish can hardly afford to get a season wrong or to wait on someone, does not run the risk of burning its most crystalline talent.
All the more so because another season like the last one, in which he had no continuity either with Milan Futuro or in Serie A, reaching the end of the campaign without even being able to take part in the Serie C play-outs due to not having reached the minimum number of call-ups, would have only been damaging. At 16, Camarda signed his first professional contract and remained at Milan; in order for him, once he turns 18, to sign his first five-year deal, it is also only right to show him that a sporting path has been planned that is worthy of his enormous potential. And this move to Lecce, after last year’s chaos, seems to be the right road.
We are still at the beginning, but already a different Camarda has been seen, above all physically. From the very first friendly appearances with Di Francesco’s team, the striker has shown a decidedly more built physique compared to the slender, still-boyish frame of past years. At this age it is natural to undergo such a leap in so little time, but it was nonetheless a pleasant surprise.
And obviously it is a change that has had its impact on the pitch as well: already in the friendlies, even against opponents not of the highest level, one could see a boy much more at ease in physical duels with opposing defenders. If in past years he suffered, and it was more than natural, the pronounced physicality of Serie A, both in strength and in speed, now he seems to be on the right path.
For fans of Francesco Camarda, there will be plenty of reasons to follow him week after week to witness his growth. And while waiting for each new fixture, supporters can also turn to the digital world for entertainment. In fact, the advancements of gaming platforms now offer smoother performance, more immersive experiences, and greater engagement, keeping the passion for competition alive even off the pitch.
Camarda with much room for improvement:
This was demonstrated by the great assist he produced last night against Juve Stabia in the Coppa Italia round of 64. The opponents, who play in Serie B, were still a solid testing ground. The match was real, tough, knockout football. A long ball to the center forward, shielding it with his body while letting it run with three opponents around him, control with a dribble in the box, excellent vision of play and an easy, easy pass to his completely unmarked teammate arriving. The difficulty here was not in the execution, but in the preparation. It truly looked like a player ready to perform at these levels.
And it is not insignificant that, even though it was practically one of the last actions of the match, Camarda went for the assist instead of trying the shot on goal, which probably would have been blocked. This is not exaggeration or an attempt to forcibly find something positive, but it is important to note, in a seventeen-year-old footballer, that certain physical, technical, and football-intelligence qualities are developing in the right way. How do they say it in these cases? He is becoming a “player.”
Conclusion:
All the premises for doing well are there: less pressure, a team that plays attacking football with a passionate and fiery fanbase. Extra positive aspect: leaving home before even coming of age and stepping outside one’s comfort zone has an incalculable value. The only regret is that the boy will score his first Serie A goal in a shirt different from the Rossoneri one. But, there will be time and opportunity also to return to San Siro and do what (so far) in all categories, he has done best: score goals.
