Francesco Camarda was too shy to ask AC Milan for tickets for the game against Fiorentina last night and so he and his dad ended up buying them, it is claimed.
At 15 years and 260 days, Camarda became the youngest ever player to play in Serie A as he ran out onto the field at San Siro and was unable to hide a smile as the over 70,000 fans shouted his name.
Before the game, Sky correspondent Peppe Di Stefano (via Radio Rossonera) talked about Camarda’s approach to the match and the potential of him becoming a history maker in Italian football.
“Francesco Camarda is a boy who is just 15 years old and a few months old, but he is used to pressure: in the age of social media, people have been talking about him for a year, a year and a half,” he said.
“What comforts me is the head on the shoulders that the parents have, that the family has around this boy. His father practically always accompanies him when he can to Milanello and his mother demands that he do his homework constantly. He attends the linguistic sports high school in the centre of Milan. These are details that can make the difference.
From San Siro, Di Stefano revealed a background story which underlines precisely the upbringing that he has had and why he remains so grounded.
“Francesco Camarda is a very shy boy: for Milan-Fiorentina he didn’t ask the club for tickets for friends and relatives. The day before yesterday afternoon he showed up at Casa Milan with his dad to buy them,” he added.
Despite coming on in the 39th minute of the second half of Milan-Fiorentina and playing just under 15 minutes overall (including added time), it felt like a pretty huge moment and is being talked about Europe-wide.