There were still seven minutes remaining in AC Milan's Serie A clash with Fiorentina when Stefano Pioli decided to make a change up front. "Off goes Luka Jovic annnnnnnd...." the stadium announcer said, his voice rising along with the excitement inside the Giuseppe Meazza, "FOR THE FIRST TIME.... NUMBER 73... FRANCESCO CAMARDA!"
The crowd at San Siro erupted, the Curva Sud chanting his name while Camarda's mother burst into tears. 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 history in the making; Camarda made his first appearance for Milan at just 15 years and 260 days old - making him the youngest player Serie A has ever seen.
A combination of injury and suspension had forced Pioli's hand but nobody was in the least bit surprised that the Rossoneri coach had, in his desperation, turned to Camarda. 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 goalscorer...
