Serie A clubs are already looking beyond the familiar names of the current youth cycle. Behind the players who have begun to attract attention lies another generation, born between 2009 and 2013, for whom first-team benches, training camps and international youth tournaments are becoming part of the route to senior football.
Como midfielder Riccardo Cassano is among the most advanced cases. Known as “Richi Cassa”, he has been watched closely by Cesc Fabregas and was taken on the club’s summer training camp, where he made his unofficial senior debut against Paris FC. His response earned him a place on Como’s Champions League list, an important sign of trust for a player still waiting for his first competitive appearance.
Cassano, from Olgiate Comasco, spent two years in Inter’s academy before joining Como. He has spoken of studying Máximo Perrone’s composure and command in midfield after being named on the bench for the Serie A match against Cremonese. His father Stefano works with Como’s youngest age groups, while younger brother Lorenzo plays for For Soccer and sister Matilde is involved in artistic gymnastics.
Como’s Cassano leads a crowded 2009 group
The 2009-born class contains several attacking prospects already known inside Italy’s academy system. Juventus have Destiny Elimoghale, a forward noted for his pace in open spaces; Atalanta’s Francesco Gasparello is an attacking midfielder with refined technique who had attracted Chelsea’s interest; while Roma’s Antonio Arena has already scored beneath the Curva Sud at the Olimpico.
Arena, who has Italian and Australian roots, has chosen to represent Italy. Cassano’s route is different: he is a central midfielder, has impressed Fabregas and now faces the next decisive step, a first official match for Como.
Fiorentina’s Croci and the wait for a 2010 debutant
Italian football has yet to see a player born in 2010 make a Serie A appearance. Roma’s Mattia Guaglianone, who wears the number 10, and Roberto Scaglione, previously named on Genoa’s senior bench before moving to Parma, are among those close to that frontier.
Fiorentina’s Federico Croci may also enter the conversation. Viola supporters saw him during the summer, first in a friendly against Queens Park Rangers, where he set up Rolando Mandragora, and then in the Coppa Italia tie with Benevento.
Croci is a versatile attacking player, capable of taking on defenders, creating chances and finishing moves himself. Two years ago he won Italy’s youth Golden Boot after scoring 42 goals. He prefers to begin from the left before driving inside, with Kylian Mbappé’s Monaco years a major reference point.
The youngster comes from Bibbiena, speaks French, skis and once appeared as an extra in the second season of the American television series Succession.
Milan have Jadid and Kostyuk in the next wave
Akram Jadid, born in 2011, is another name being developed at Milan. The left-footed wide forward began at Voluntas Montichiari in the Brescia area. Inter were interested, but Milan secured him instead.
Jadid is comfortable playing on the opposite flank and enjoys improvisation, a trait evident even in childhood clips of him juggling a table-tennis ball. At nine, he recorded 195 consecutive touches. He has also trained under Ruben Amorim during the summer and has regularly made an impact while playing above his age group.
His international future remains open. Born in Italy to Moroccan parents, he cannot apply for an Italian passport until he turns 18, while Morocco’s youth teams have already brought him into their plans. Football runs through the family: father Rachid played as high as Serie D, while uncle Abderazzak shared a pitch with both Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola.
At Milan’s Vismara training centre, another young attacker is already attracting attention. Andrea Kostyuk, born in 2012 and of Ukrainian heritage, has chosen Italy and is expected to be a leading figure for the Italy Under-15 side travelling to Azerbaijan next week for the youth mini-World Cup.
Kostyuk takes inspiration from Christian Pulisic and has built a substantial online following, with almost 10,000 Instagram followers. Adidas have also added him to their group of young athletes. Before Milan, he played for Assago, the same local club that helped develop Marco Palestra.
His family keep close record of his progress. Father Ivan films matches, while mother Livika and older sister Eugenia help update a computer file devoted to his scoring record, which has passed 1,000 goals.
Gaetano Tatolo, Kostyuk’s first coach, recalled the tournament that accelerated the attention around him. “Technically, he was not merely better than the others; he seemed to be on another level,” Tatolo said. “We reached a final against Inter and Andrea began on the bench because he was exhausted. We were 4-0 down at half-time. He came on, scored five times and we won. That evening, calls started arriving from Inter and then Milan. That tournament changed everything.”
The Criscito name continues at Genoa
Genoa’s youth ranks also contain two sons of former captain Domenico Criscito, though they have taken different paths on the pitch.
Alfredo Criscito, born in 2012, has inherited his father’s attachment to Genoa and operates at left-back, with the ability to play centrally as well. He will join Italy at the Under-15 tournament in Azerbaijan.
Younger brother Alessandro, born in 2013, is an attacking midfielder rather than a defender. Technically inventive and willing to attempt difficult plays, he has started the season with four goals in five Under-15 appearances despite playing a year above his age group.
Alessandro turned 13 on 13 April, a reminder of how early these stories remain. Yet the figures, family connections and first glimpses at academy level show how Serie A’s next chapter is already being drafted: slowly, carefully, and with clubs beginning to decide which youngsters may one day belong on a Sunday afternoon.
