10 of the best A.C Milan Academy graduates
The powers of AC Milan have waned considerably over the last number of years as they have become largely outmuscled by the likes of AS Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina on the domestic stage, as well as falling by the wayside in European competition. It’s been pretty difficult to take for so many Rossoneri fans.Nevertheless, they remain a popular club, with a rich history and a trophy cabinet creaking under the weight of lots of replica silverware, and it’s easy to see why. They have often boasted some of the best players around, particularly during the 1990s and early “noughties” as their Primavera academy produced some world-class performers.The talent pool has dried up considerably in recent years (with the exception of a handful of promising starlets like Hachim Mastour and Gianluigi Donnarumma) and many have begun to wonder whether they will ever produce era-defining players again.So, just who have been the stand-out academy graduates down through the years? Join us in our assessment.Note: Only stand-out players since 1962 have been included as that was when the club’s Primavera side was officially set up and youth development became central to the club’s plans.
#10 Bryan Cristante
Kicking off our slideshow is midfielder Bryan Cristante. Understandably, if you don’t follow Serie A football you won’t know too much about him, but the chances are that the 20-year-old will become a continental sensation in just a few short months.
Reports suggest that Cristante has recently joined Palermo from Benfica on loan, but long before he became the subject of rumour and excitement for fans, he was growing and learning as part of Milan’s development squad. The tidy playmaker was just 14 years of age when he joined the outfit from amateur side Liventina Gorghense and he quickly became the youngest of their players to ever play in the Champions League, an early indication as to just how talented he was.
Since then, he wasn’t exactly allowed to flourish in their senior team, but his several years experience with them from the ground up has certainly helped him become hot property. Oh, what might have been if they’d kept him?