Did AC Milan Really Sign a 10-Year-Old Girl for Their Youth System?

We've heard some out-of-the-ordinary signings in the past. There was the toddler not too long ago who signed with VVV Venio in the Netherlands because he could loft a toy ball into a chest from a couple feet away. Then Barcelona signed a 10-year-old American. I'm still surprised that we've never heard of Arsene Wenger signing a baby straight out of the birth canal!

This is certainly a new one, however.

Metro is reporting that AC Milan have signed a 10-year-old girl from England named Aisha Saini to join their youth academy and to compete in a tournament in October.

According to the report, Saini was with her family at a resort in Spain and participated in a tournament to pass the time. They didn't know it was put on by Milan and the club was extremely impressed—to the point where they asked her to take part in the academy.

The report says that Daniele Paccagnan, Milan's academy head coach, was impressed with "how strong she was. More importantly, she has excellent control and technique, and her attitude during practice was fantastic."

With these English tabloids, you never know. As fellow columnist Neri Stein pointed out to me, they all have a bit of the truth, with the exception of The Sun. However, with a story like this, you never know. It could be true, but until there is concrete evidence from a more reliable source, this is only a tabloid attention-grabber.

If it's true, it would be a very interesting story to follow. Could football eventually cut through a barrier rarely even discussed?

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