Francesco Camarda is 16 today, and there is a lot of talk about his future with AC Milan and his first professional contract.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Camarda can sign his first professional contract starting today. The great names in Europe are keeping an eye on him, but Milan is confident because the striker has supported the Rossoneri from birth and has a strong relationship to the club.
This year, he also watched a game in the Curva Sud, opting to support the colors he has worn since he was a child. Camarda has a history as a record-breaking striker, scoring around 500 goals at various phases of the youth sector, therefore there is a lot of hype about him.
At 16, there is a carefree attitude and understanding that mistakes will be made and learned from, but Camarda lives in a type of ‘bubble’. Milan supports him, pampers him, and keeps him away from interested reporters in order to protect him. Throughout, he maintains a low profile with the assistance of his family members.
According to La Gazzetta, if Camarda decides that England is the best destination for his future, he will not be eligible to join the Premier League until he is 18, due to Brexit restrictions.
Claudio Echeverri, a River Plate playmaker bought by Manchester City and loaned out to Argentina until 2024, is a prime example. He will arrive in Manchester when he is 18, thus Camarda, too, may have to wait until 2026, even with a pre-contract, to go.
However, Borussia Dortmund is also interested and could sign him this year. Camarda had two professional matches against Fiorentina and Frosinone, and he is the youngest debutant in Italian football history (15 years and 11 months).
He is now on a youth contract that will last until he is 19, but if he plays another eight senior games, he will be required to sign a professional contract.
In short, the Camarda situation is more complicated than it appears. Currently, it is technically impossible to move to England at the age of sixteen. Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and any other English club from the Premier League to League Two would be required to sign him and then leave him in Italy until he reaches 18.
In the EU, things are different. Article 19 of the ‘FIFA Regulations on Status and Transfer of Players’ lists five exceptions to the transfer of a minor from abroad. The first: the footballer’s parents relocate for reasons unrelated to football.
The second requirement is that the transfer occur within the European Union and that the player be at least 16 years old. The third condition is that the player resides no more than 50 kilometers from the border, and the club is no further away.
Another possibility is that the footballer has left his own country for humanitarian reasons or to participate in a student exchange scheme. Finally, there is a ‘5-year rule’ that requires a foreign minor footballer to have lived in the country where he seeks to register for at least five years.
