Tommaso Pobega
Position: Centre midfielder
Age: 23 (born July 15, 1999)
Shirt number: 32
Country: Italy (1 cap since 2022)
At AC Milan since: 2018
Tommaso Pobega continues the tradition of Milan’s fabled youth academy, and he hopes that he will finally wear the Rossoneri shirt for the 2022-23 season after signing a five-year deal, after spending a huge chunk of his career out on loan.
A graduate of their famous Primavera, the midfielder was sent on loan the moment he signed for Milan in 2018, going to Ternana in the Serie C. Having been relegated from the Serie B, Pobega played 32 matches and scored thrice for the Umbrian Beasts but missed out on the promotion playoffs from their Group B (North and Central East) by three points.
The following season saw him loaned to Serie B newcomers Pordenone, where he played the most games in a season so far (with 34 in all competitions) and scored six goals as the Green Lizards made it to the promotion playoffs by their fourth-place finish but fell to Frosinone in the semifinal.
2020-21 became a milestone for Pobega, as he finally tasted top-flight football with Spezia, which was his third loan move in as many seasons. There, it was his most productive scoring wise as he scored six for the second straight season, albeit played only 20 matches as the Liguirian outfit finished 15th, and barely escaping relegation.
He briefly returned to the San Siro, as he was an unused sub in their 1-0 win away at Sampdoria last August 23, 2021, as he was shipped to Torino on another loan four days later. While Milan won the scudetto, Pobega scored four times in 33 matches as I Granata finished 10th in the Serie A.
Internationally, he made his senior debut during the Azzurri’s 1-1 draw against Germany in their Nations League match in Bologna on June 4, 2022, replacing Milan teammate Sandro Tonali in the 80th minute. This came after appearing for their U21 side six times last year.