AC Milan will begin their Champions League group stage campaign against Red Bull Salzburg tonight, and they will meet a team with a similar philosophy on and off the field.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) reports how both clubs have married to a fascinating vision whereby launching young people without losing competitiveness on the field is encouraged, lowering the average age and raising the level for the future.
Salzburg have the youngest team in the Champions League with an average age of 22 years and 246 days, and their last 14 goals in the Champions League have been scored by players under the age of 23. Barcelona have an average of 25 and a half years, then it is Milan at just under 26.
Milan have shown a willingness to bet on talent domestically (like Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer) and then from abroad with Theo Hernandez, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Rafael Leao and Charles De Ketelaere all coming from around Europe. In doing so they did something which is very tough, striking a balance between the development of youth and sporting competitiveness.
Technical director Paolo Maldini, sporting director Ricky Massara, chief scout Geoffrey Moncada, head coach Stefano Pioli and the entire coaching staff deserve credit. The Kalulu operation is a perfect example as he was found by Moncada without having made a senior appearance for Lyon, convinced by Maldini and Massara (signed for €480k) then developed by Pioli and his staff.
In Salzburg , however, the work is different from that done in Milan. Sporting director Christoph Freund and all his scouts choose from all over the world as seen in Brenden Aaronson, an American spotted and signed from Philadelphia and sold to Leeds United in the Premier League.
They are a conveyor belt of sorts with the likes of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mané, Dayot Upamecano, Naby Keita and Dominik Szoboszlai having come through their doors, exploded and then having left for a huge profit.
They also have some current talents too just as Kjærgaard, Okafor, Fernandez and of course Benjamin Sesko who has already been sold to their cousins RB Leipzig in a deal which will become official in summer 2023.
