When Argentina announced their big roster for the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers in March, it caught a lot of attention. In addition to the likes of Messi, Dybala and Lautaro Martinez, there is a range of relatively unknown names, some of whom made their first national team call-ups even before their career debuts. Not only that, but there are also many young talents who were not even born in Argentina, some of whom, such as Manchester United striker Alejandro Ganacgio, have represented other countries in youth teams. For Inter defender Franco Carboni, it was the first time Argentina had called, having previously played for Italy's under-18 national team. But he left Argentina almost overnight three years ago, when he was recognized as a reputable genius in his birthplace, and now his dream has come true.
"I know the national team has been following me," the 19-year-old said in an interview, "and when I got the call, I was incredibly proud and excited." It was a very nice experience. I thank the Italian team for giving me some opportunities for youth friendly matches. It was a very important experience for me. But when the call from the Argentine team came, I had no doubts. This is my country and it is my dream to play for the national team. Training with Messi? It really made my dream come true. It was a dream I had as a child, and it was an experience I had in that moment. Train with him, control the ball, and eat with him... Incredible things and inexplicable feelings. ”
Born in Buenos Aires, Caboni experienced academy football for the first time in Lanus, but was forced to leave his homeland at the age of 16 after his father, Ezeküll, accepted a job as Catania Youth Coordinator. "Three years ago, when we moved to Italy overnight, I had to tell him and my family that we were leaving Argentina." Former midfielders for Ezeküll, Lanus and Catania. "I know how much pain he suffered when he left friends, family, clubs and many other things to move to a country where he knew nothing about language and football."
Franco and his brother Valentine were admitted as soon as they arrived at Catania Academy, but they were only at the club for five months before the big teams across Europe began to notice. With a spiritual left foot, his physical qualities allowing him to beat defenders through speed and strength and with excellent decision-making skills, Caboni's talent is evident and he quickly became a favourite as the club now recognises the importance of full-backs in modern games. Both Liverpool and Juventus have expressed interest in signing, but it was Inter Milan who won the battle, which also brought Valentine to Milan with his brother.
"There are proposals from different clubs, but I always wanted to play here," Franco said, "the project that the club submitted to my family was very good and we chose to come to Inter Milan. Thankfully, it was the right choice! "Carboni has been excellent in different positions on the left since coming to Inter. He started out as a striker when he first started his football career, but now he has slowly stepped back and is now best suited to be an attacking full-back or wing-back. He has become a key member of the Inter U19 squad, managed by former Inter defender Cristian Zivo, who contributed seven assists in the 2021-22 season while attracting the attention of Simeone Inzaghi.
He has been promoted to first-team bench player five times in this season's competition, although his first exposure to first-team football was actually with the championship-winning team led by Antonio Conte in 2020, with him twice on the bench in the early weeks of the Serie A season. "I thank Conte," Carboni said. "I trained in the first team under him for four or five months and he put me on the bench for the first time in Serie A. It was a very good experience and I thank him for giving me this opportunity. Inzaghi also put me on the bench, even in the Champions League. He gave me a wonderful experience and I thank him as well. ”
The thought of the Argentine defender strolling along the side of Meazza in an Inter shirt immediately reminds Inter fans of Javier Zanetti, a five-time Serie A champion who has advised Carboni as the club's vice-president. "My example? At Inter, it's always Zanetti, even if he plays on the right and I play on the left," Carboni said, "for me, he's one of the best players in the history of this position and it's really nice to talk to him." He was always nice to me and he was a great guy. At Inter today, I really like Perisic. Playing the same role as him, I always observed him. I tried to learn from him because for me, he was very strong. ”
While Carboni's progress has been encouraging, the issue of young players reaching the First Team in Serie A has not become easy, and the issue has recently been raised again after Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Of the 15 youngest players to play in Europe's five major leagues this season, only one – Capone's Argentine teammate and Lazio's Luca Romero – is from Serie A, while only one Italian player under the age of 18 has been given a chance to play this season – Atalanta defender Giorgio Skavini. Well, the path to playing regular first-team football for Carboni is unclear, meaning he could be loaned out in the summer of 2022 after he recently extended his contract with the club until 2025.
"Right now, I'm thinking about finishing the season with the youth team," he insisted, "we have important games, like play-offs, and we want to win." Then, at the end of the season, we will evaluate my best options together with my agent Anderi Inter. I always set short-term goals for myself, but I dream of playing in the first team at Inter Milan or the first team of a Serie A club. "Carboni seems to be on the right path to making those dreams come true, and after a week of training with Messi and the rest of the Argentine team, he knows better than most that dreams sometimes come true.