SempreMilan
·18 novembre 2024
SempreMilan
·18 novembre 2024
The departure of Ignazio Abate and the launch of Milan Futuro was expected to have an impact on the Primavera, but they are showing no signs of it yet.
La Gazzetta dello Sport talks about how Federico Guidi is the ‘sculptor’ of the Primavera side, having arrived from Roma’s youth sector in the summer where he had success, as well as with Fiorentina before that.
The team are followed by a team of psychologists, assisted in their studies and advised on the use of social media, all with the aim of helping them grow from boys into men at the right pace. All this is under the eyes of Vincenzo Vergine, the head of the youth sector who also came from Roma.
With the Futuro side having launched in the summer there is an extra stepping stone before the senior side, but staying in the Primavera is not a failure. In fact, it is an opportunity that several players are taking.
Milan Primavera are top of the league with seven victories, 26 goals scored and 13 conceded in 11 games, and five players have stood out the most in addition to the work of coach Guidi.
Stalmach is the captain at 18 years of age and he plays the midfield role with the confidence of a veteran. He made his debut in Poland at 15 for Gornik Zabrze and that is perhaps why he has such a maturity already.
He is the record holder for appearances in the Youth League for the Rossoneri with 19. The Pole stands out for his leadership, personality and management of the team both in-game and in the dressing room, while his best quality is driving the ball forward.
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Comotto is the all-rounder in Guidi’s midfield at the age of 16 and yet until a few years ago he was considered to be behind his team-mates in terms of growth. He has been used as a regista, attacking midfielder and a mezzala already.
He has always scored a lot in his career: with the U15s he netted 18 times. Last year he made his Youth League debut at 15 years and 7 months, against Newcastle, under the eyes of his friend and idol Sandro Tonali. At 11 years old, during a tournament played with Fiorentina, he won the top scorer award with Camarda, also 2008-born.
Bonomi is the team’s top scorer with seven goals in 10 games, yet both Abate and Guidi have deployed him everywhere in attack: as a winger, attacking midfielder or alongside a centre forward (often Camarda or Ibrahimovic Jr.).
Those who know him describe him as a simple guy, with his feet on the ground and who has always thought only about football. Even on social media, he only has team photos or his celebrations: arms wide and tongue sticking out like Del Piero. Among the videos, there is also a penalty scored in the Youth League semi-final last year against Porto.
In November 2023, he signed his first contract with Milan and in the last 15 months he has had exponential growth. Now he scores more and sets up his teammates, like the assist for Sia in the Youth League against Real.
Back in February 2023, Stefano Pioli organised an intra-squad friendly in which Maximilian played on the same team as his father Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Compared to him, Ibra Jr. is more of a winger or an attacking midfielder.
He recently turned 18, in August he signed his first professional contract with Milan and in September he started scoring. Four goals in the first four games in the Primavera, including a knockout blow against Inter in the derby, before an injury that kept him away from the pitch for a month.
His dad told a fun fact about him in an interview a few years ago: “At the first trial with Milan they went with their mother’s name, Seger. They signed them.” Then, Maxi immediately decided to call himself Ibrahimovic, without fear of expectations.
Scotti is yet another gem of Guidi’s Primavera, playing as a winger or as a playmaker, and also protected by a contract signed last year. He too was born in 2006 and this year he is among the best players in the league with six assists and three goals so far.
He grew up dribbling on the flanks, skipping past defenders with tricks and feints. Then he slowly moved towards the centre. Last year with Abate he was the protagonist in the Youth League journey, which ended with the final lost to Olympiakos.
He scored two goals against Dortmund in the groups, then an assist against Braga in the round of 16 and a goal against Porto in the semi-final. Now he has become even more complete in terms of his vision and helping those around him.