Don’t call it revelation. Don’t mention the fairy tale, the miracle, because there is a precise strategy behind Milan in the Youth League semi-final. Meticulous planning that brought Abate’s team among the best four for the second year in a row. All linked to a path in the championship that was far from perfect, especially last season, where Milan ended the year ten points from the playoffs. This year they are fighting hard to grab a place in the top six (they are currently fifth, 11 points behind leaders Inter and only one ahead of Sassuolo and Turin), but their progress in the Youth League is much better. And more far-sighted.
regulations
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Question of lists. Or rather, age. Milan Primavera is the second youngest team in the spring championship after Juventus (18 years and one month), but above all they have built the last two seasons on a group made up of the class of 2005. The eighteen/nineteen year olds of today, in short. Some of them made their debut in Serie A: Simic, Zeroli, Bartesaghi, Jimenez. In addition to them there are several 2007 and 2008 players, including Francesco Camarda, the golden boy of Italian football who made his debut at 15 years and 8 months. The Youth League, however, is a godsend for Abate’s group, especially because the regulations between the spring championship and the baby Champions are very different. In Italy, teams can send up to 6 players born in 2004 onto the field, plus an overage player who has no age limit (and who cannot be born in 2004). Most of the squads, in fact, focus on 19/20 year olds. Just look at the scorer rankings. Among the top seven scorers there are six 2004 (Vanja Vlahovic, Giacomo Corona, Flavio Russo, Andrea Ferraris, Issiaka Kamate and Luigi Cherubini) and one 2003 (Andrea Ferraris). The first seventeen year old is Alphadjo Cissè from Verona, 2006, eleven goals.
other worlds
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It’s a completely different matter in the Youth League, however, where by regulation up to five players born on or after 1 January 2004 can be fielded. Milan have only two, namely Clinton Nsiala and Andrea Bartoccioni, the reserve goalkeeper. The YL top scorers are the poster child for how it is a competition for young people. The two top scorers are 2006 and 2007 respectively. The first is the Danish Amin Chiakha of Copenhagen, the second is Rodrigo Mora of Porto, the youngest debutant in Portuguese professional football. In 2023 he made his debut in the second series with the Lusitani B team at 15 years, 8 months and ten days. More or less like Camarda in Serie A. Both scored seven goals. Followed by Anhá Candé in 2007, also from Porto (6 goals), Yoel van den Ban from Az (2006), Yannick Eduardo from Leipzig (2006) and two strikers from Olympiacos, Christos Mouzakitis and Charalambos Kostoulas. All five goals. Among them there is also Diego Sia, Abate’s star with 14 goals and 8 assists this season. To beat Porto we will need a match from him.
