There were seven minutes remaining in AC Milan's Serie A clash with Fiorentina on November 25, 2023 when Stefano Pioli decided to make a substitution of colossal significance. "Off goes Luka Jovic and," the stadium announcer said, pausing for dramatic effect. "For the first time..." he continued, his voice rising along with the excitement inside the Giuseppe Meazza, "NUMBER 73! FRANCESCO CAMARDA!"
The crowd at San Siro erupted, the Curva Sud chanting his name while Camarda's mother burst into tears in the stands. As for her son, he simply puffed out his cheeks and smiled. It was, Camarda admitted afterwards, "something unique that I will never forget".
Nobody will, in fairness, because this was a little bit of history; Camarda was just 15 years and 260 days old at the time, making him the youngest player ever to feature in a Serie A match. A combination of injury and suspension may have forced Pioli's hand, but nobody was in the least bit surprised that the Rossoneri coach had turned to Camarda to strengthen a depleted attack. He was being tipped for greatness even before he made his first appearance for the Primavera (Under-19s) earlier this season.
Indeed, the feeling at San Siro has long been that Milan have already found their next great goal-scorer...
