His name may not be completely familiar to you yet, unless you are a Juventus fan or a big follower of Turkish football. But Kenan Yıldız, young Turkish striker for the Bianconeri, is gaining considerable momentum in the professional squad of Italian coach Massimiliano Allegri. Moreover, the Ay-Yıldızlılar international (3 caps, 1 goal) is starting to be very well integrated into the Turin rotation by posting, at mid-season, a total of seven appearances in Serie A. Despite a few outings returns with the young team Juventus Next Gen in Serie C, the native of Regensburg in Germany has numerous internships with the first team, to the point of becoming an integral part of the Old Lady. The Italian press is raving about the potential of the 18-year-old Turk and there is no doubt that all the spotlights will be on him during the coming year 2024: “I am particularly happy for him, because he is a smart boy. He’s a great player, these are his goals because even in training he often scores them. It is also a satisfaction for all those who have worked in the youth sector of Juventus.declared Allegri at a press conference recently.
“Kenan is a machine built to win. He prepares from a very young age, it is his only objective. He immediately impressed me: he immediately reminded me of Ferrán Torres. A mentality, a humility, an extraordinary worker. With all these characteristics, we encounter few of them. He came here to score goals like this, but above all to triumph, to win championships and the Champions League: I imagine him here in 10 years. If Juventus wants a number 10, Yildiz is number 10: that’s his role, he’s a boy who makes you fall in love. It’s a perfect combination between the creativity of his Turkish father who is a great example for him and the discipline of his German mother: he knows perfectly what he wants.declared this week, his agent Hector Peris Ros in an exclusive interview for the Turin newspaper Tuttosport where the boss of the Leaderbrock agency talks about several topics involving Yıldız, including his failure at Bayern, his arrival in Turin and his development at Juventus.
First start, first goal
We already told you about Kenan Yıldız earlier in the season when coach Vincenzo Montella called him up for Turkey. From now on, it is with Juventus that the player’s contract shines until June 2027. Established for the first time with the Old Lady, against Frosinone during the 17th day of Serie A, Yıldız even scored his first goal during this meeting in the 12th minute, which he celebrated by sticking out his tongue like Alessandro Del Piero. Difficult to be more decisive and effective: “We know that in Italy it is not easy to play with young people, especially at Juventus. But the coach is very intelligent, their relationship is excellent. Allegri knows the value of the boy, who feels a strong connection with the coach. With Montella, the relationship is very good: he did not expect to start against Germany and he certainly did not imagine playing first with the Turkish national team as a starter, then with Juventus, but that definitely went well”
With this goal against Leoni, Kenan Yıldız became the youngest foreign scorer in Juventus’ Serie A history at 18 years and 233 days old. Moreover, Massimiliano Allegri should return him to the starting lineup against AS Roma on Saturday in the league. Nothing is yet set in stone but the Italian presses agree on this point. Starter or substitute, the Turk will certainly be on the match sheet, which already proves that Allegri is counting on him and the main person concerned is delighted with this total confidence: “For me, the coach is a great coach and I thank him for everything he does for me. Today I had my chance. When he told me to cut my hair, I did it because in the end, he’s the boss.”, joked the young Turk, referring to the hair bet made with his trainer who was tired of seeing him “redo his hair a hundred times”. Like Kaio Jorge, Matias Soulé and Enzo Barrenechea, Kenan Yıldız is one of the new Turin gems on which the Old Lady wants to rely…
