When Italian football pundit Stefano Impallomeni raised caution at a young Turkish academy prospect taking on the iconic Biaconeri number 10 shirt, he probably didn’t envisage the season that Kenan Yildiz would be embarking on this season.
Stefano said that a young prospect taking on the shirt worn by the likes of Michele Platini and Alessandro Del Piero may be quite “cumbersome” and he placed a heavy responsibility on the mental resilience needed to follow that legacy. Thiago Motta has had no such concerns and, while he doesn’t always start the young Turk, often leans on him to change games from the bench.
This was nowhere more evident than on a balmy Autumn evening at the San Siro in October this year, when Yildiz was introduced with Juve trailing Inter 4-2. The scoreline seemed bleak and the performance wasn’t particularly inspiring, with Di Gregoria making two very important saves on top of conceding 4.
Yildiz came on and exploited gaps left by Inter as they searched for an opportunity to kill the game, scoring twice in 15 minutes to rescue a point for a very grateful Thiago Motta.
Yildiz was born in Germany in 2005 – the year this reporter finished school – to Turkish parents. The young Kenan grew up in a multicultural household which he credits for shaping his adaptable and competitive nature. In 2012, his talent at the local level paid off and Yildiz joined Bayern Munich.
He would spend a decade at the German giants, developing through their youth system before deciding to move abroad to seek further opportunity for senior minutes. It wouldn’t take long for him to stand out in the Juventus U19 squads, with coaches noting his skill on the ball, creative play and his eye for goal.
Giovanni Manna (former Head of Youth Development at Juventus) commented on Yildiz’s “unwavering determination to succeed”, saying that talent alone couldn’t have taken him that far but that his proven commitment to continuous improvement would see him into the first team at Juventus.
In fact, with his powerful dribbling, quick turns and passing range, he was likened to a young Kevin De Bruyne. Those attributes, coupled with his tall frame allowed him to handle the rigours of senior level football at just 18.
“He’s a coach’s dream”
Max Allegri
When Massimiliano Allegri handed Yildiz his debut in the Juventus first team last term, he commented on the youngsters’ “versatility and physicality” as ideal attributes for Serie A. In fact, Allegri went as far as to call him a “coach’s dream” due to his adaptability in offensive transitions and structured play.
However, it was this season under Thiago Motta that Yildiz would truly “burst onto the scene”. Following an impressive Euros for Turkey – so impressive that it prompted the great Fabio Capello to push for his selection in Juventus’ first team – Motta had no choice but to showcase his young starlet.
He has already scored 4 and assisted 3 this season (at the time of writing) while being used relatively sparingly so far. Comparisons with the elite playmakers of Europe will continue to flow as long as he couples his technical finesse and versatile playing style with his trademark high work rate.
A composed finisher, Yildiz drew congratulations from one of those former number 10s when he broke Alessandro Del Piero’s record in becoming the youngest Bianconeri Champions League scorer at 19 years and 136 days. The goal against PSV in September was one Del Piero would’ve been proud of, curling in from the edge of the box in a 3-1 victory.
Del Piero has since commented that Yildiz has “taken the responsibility on his shoulders” of the heavy number 10 shirt and so far it doesn’t look like it’s affecting him. There will be a tough spell at some point in the young Turk’s career, and when it does come how he deals with it will be key. Having the self confidence to ignore the comments from Impallomeni is a good indicator of how he’ll cope.