Benjamin Cremaschi joins Italian club Parma on loan from Inter Miami
Benjamin Cremaschi, the 20-year-old Key Biscayne native and Inter Miami fan favorite, joined Italian Serie A club Parma on loan through June 2026.
The loan deal includes an option to buy with the price set at around $5 million, according to sources.
Cremaschi, a midfielder, is a USA-Argentina dual citizen whose parents are from Argentina. A year ago, he signed a contract extension with Inter Miami through the 2027 MLS season, with an option for 2028.
He was the youngest player on the Team USA roster at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was invited to a senior U.S. national team camp last year. Cremaschi’s jersey is the 23rdhottest selling MLS shirt this season, behind teammates Lionel Messi, who ranks No. 1, Luis Suarez (2), and Sergio Busquets (16).
This season, Cremaschi played 22 MLS games with 16 starts, scored one goal and had two assists. He played 1,388 minutes in league games. He also made appearances in four Club World Cup games and five Leagues Cup games.
The midfield got more crowded last month with the arrival of Argentine national team star Rodrigo De Paul from Spanish club Atletico Madrid, which limited Cremaschi’s minutes. He did not start any of the five Leagues Cup games, playing 14 minutes against Atlas, 25 against Necaxa, eight against Pumas and 28 against Tigres. He came off the bench in the Cup final against Seattle on Sunday.
Cremaschi told reporters a few weeks ago that he has had to be adaptable, versatile and get playing time in whatever position comes open. He has had to play on the right side, center and left. When he was asked if that makes it harder to prepare for games, he responded that it is more challenging to be ready when you don’t know where on the field you will be needed.
Those comments were interpreted by some media members and fans as him complaining about how he was being used; but a well-placed source said that was not his intent at all, and that coach Javier Mascherano met with the young player, understood the context of his comments, and they were on excellent terms.
The source added that his moving to Parma had nothing to do with those comments, but rather it was a chance for him to fulfill a longtime dream to play in Europe.
Cremaschi was the first Inter Miami youth academy product to sign a second contract with the club.
“It’s an honor for me to be able to get a new contract, and hopefully, many more homegrown players can take the same path,” Cremaschi told the Herald last year. “Being able to stay here a little longer and represent Miami is the best thing for me. It was super important for me to get to play close to home. I don’t know for how long I’ll stay, but for now I want to keep growing as a player with this club.”
Cremaschi comes from a sporting family. His father Pablo played for the Argentine national rugby team, and his mother Jimena was a top field hockey player. After moving to South Florida 21 years ago, they remained obsessed with Argentine sports and passed that passion on to their four children.
Benja and his two brothers grew up playing soccer and rugby, and their father started a youth rugby club in Key Biscayne. But he loved soccer a little more. He started at Key Biscayne Soccer Club and then played for Weston FC before joining the Inter Miami youth academy.
This story was originally published August 31, 2025 at 7:52 PM.