GdS: ‘The future is now’ – Milan and Juve’s philosophies align as ‘youngest ever’ meeting awaits | OneFootball

The game between AC Milan and Juventus on Saturday night will represent a changing of the guard in many ways, as a report has highlighted the low average age of the players.

Today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport recall the memories that Milan-Juventus evokes: the 2003 Champions League final, the Scudetto battle over the years, and even the first clash nearly 125 years ago.

Back in April 1901, Juventus played in a pink jersey with a black tie, while Milan had six Englishmen on the pitch. Milan-Juve on Saturday instead will be futuristic and the ‘youngest’ clash between the two sides this century.

Milan and Juventus will take to the field with an average age of less than 26 years. The starting line-ups are still to be decided, but the concept does not change.

A Milan with Malick Thiaw and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a Juve with Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram, would bring the average age to 25 years and 263 days.

A different Rossoneri side with Matteo Gabbia at the back and Samuel Chukwueze part of the attack would change the average by just a few days, meaning it will almost certainly be the youngest average age of a game between the two historic clubs in modern football.

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From 1994 to today – the three-points-per-win era – there has never been a lower age than 25 years and 348 days which was Milan 1-3 Juventus back in 2021. What does it mean? It means that Milan and Juventus have changed.

The Rossoneri won their last Champions League with a group of phenomena, almost all over 30, but in the Elliott Management era they chose to go for young players who they could help grow. They signed talents on a four or five-year contract so they can enter the best phase of their career and become symbols of Milan or be sold.

Rafael Leao is not only the strongest player in the team, he is a symbol of the project. Milan bought him when he was exactly 20 years of age, endured his ups and downs and three years later won a Scudetto with him as the MVP. They renewed his contract and, if they ever sell him, they will make a capital gain. He should start on Saturday, by the way.

Juventus meanwhile have invested much more in individual operations like Dusan Vlahovic (who will miss out due to injury) at over €80m, but they have turned to youth too. Their average age on Saturday will probably be 24 years and 234 days.

Two players contribute more than the others: Nicolò Savona is 2003-born, and Kenan Yildiz 2005. A 21-year-old and a 19-year-old as starters in the game between the two biggest Italian clubs is symbolic of Thiago Motta’s faith but also a changing philosophy.

Juve are the second-youngest team in the league after Parma in terms of average age of players used, while Milan are fifth. Inter are in 20th as they continue to rely on players that are in their 30s but perhaps don’t have the same ups and downs. Antonio Conte’s Napoli are 19th.

Looking around Europe the landscape is surprising as there are some very young teams, even younger than Juve, and one is PSG. Many big teams, however, are older: they don’t reach the average age of 29 like Inter but mix U25 talents with the guarantees of veterans. Real Madrid, City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are all very close to an average age of 27.

Milan and Juve’s parallel paths continue with the ‘second team’ both have set up. The Old Lady did theirs in 2018 and Yildiz is the shining graduate, while the Diavolo started theirs in the summer and Camarda is the big hope.