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Como 1907’s Academy was strongly represented during the recent international break, with several young players earning call-ups across different age groups. The standout story was once again the contribution of the club’s Italian talents, whose involvement at youth international level reflects the quality of the work being done inside Como’s development pathway.
Cristiano De Paoli and Alessio Baralla helped Italy U18 finish top of their group in the first round of qualification for next year’s UEFA U19 Championship. De Paoli started in all three matches, keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Scotland, while Baralla made appearances against Scotland and Poland before both players started and played the full 90 minutes in the decisive 2-1 win over Ireland. De Paoli reflected on the experience: “Playing for the national team is always a source of pride because you are representing your country, and there is nothing better than that.” Baralla added: “Playing in the national team with a teammate is always a pleasure because it shows that at Como the work is being done well.”
Matteo Albini also enjoyed an important break with Italy U17, playing in all three UEFA U17 Qualifiers as the Azzurrini beat Portugal 3-2, Iceland 4-0, and Romania 2-1. Albini played the full 90 minutes against Portugal before adding further starts against Iceland and Romania. Speaking after the comeback win, he said: “For me, the national team is something special. It is an incredible emotion and an honour to play with the best players in my country and represent Italy.” He also highlighted the team spirit behind the result: “Coming back from 2-0 down is really difficult, but with the strength of a united group we managed to turn it around.”
At Italy’s U16 level, Achille Cauli contributed an assist in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Germany. Cauli is a regular for Como 1907’s U17 side, and his call-up offered another positive sign of the club’s work in developing young Italian talent across the Academy. Reflecting on the experience, Cauli said: “It was a beautiful experience where I was able to show myself, and wearing the Italy shirt is an honour for me.” He also added: “This season has been very important for me because I have grown as a footballer, but above all as a person, and I always thank the team for that.”
That progress is also visible every week with the Primavera side, who currently sit top of the Primavera 2 league table. De Paoli and Baralla have also been recently called up to train with the first team, an important step in Como’s wider vision of developing academy players who can one day make the transition into senior football. Cauli also underlined the value of the club’s support in his own journey: “Como is helping me a lot, because I feel that they believe in me, and every time I have to try to give my maximum to reach my goals.”
Alongside the Italian group, several other Primavera players were also involved on international duty. Francesco Andrealli featured in two friendlies for Peru U20 against Chile. Kristiāns Mežsargs played in the UEFA U21 Qualifiers for Latvia and scored against Northern Ireland. Levente Bősze and Lyfe Oldenstam were both involved in the UEFA U19 Qualifiers with Hungary and the Netherlands respectively, while Henrique Menke also received a call-up to Brazil U20.
The international break offered another encouraging snapshot of the talent within Como 1907’s Academy system. For the club, the growing presence of its young Italian players on the international stage is not only a source of pride, but also a clear sign that the pathway is producing players ready to compete, improve, and move closer to the demands of first-team football.
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