Who is Kenan Yildiz? Juventus’ ‘Turkish Del Piero’ wanted by Arsenal and Liverpool

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 16 Jan 2024 07:21 GMT
• 5 min read

Teenage wonderkid Kenan Yildiz has been one of Serie A’s breakout stars this season, leading to a bromance and comparisons with Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero.

The teenage attacker has long been tipped for superstardom, and he is attracting interest from Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool.

So what do we know about Yildiz?

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What club does Kenan Yildiz play for?

Yildiz plays for Juventus in the Italian Serie A.

What position does Kenan Yildiz play in?

Yildiz is an attacking midfielder, winger or attacker. For Juventus this season, he has been deployed as an attacker in a two-man strike-force under Max Allegri.

How good is Kenan Yildiz?

Kenan Yildiz has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents at Juventus in years.

The teenager has long been tipped to become a superstar. Juve beat Barcelona to his signature as a 16-year-old in the summer of 2022 when his contract at Bayern Munich expired.

At the time this was considered as a huge coup for a player seen as one of the best in the world at his age group.

Yildiz initially played with Juventus’ Under-19s and Next Gen team in Serie C, but it soon became clear he was far too good for this level.

This caused some friction between his entourage and Juventus, as Yildiz was unhappy at not getting a look-in for the senior team.

After going on the 2023 summer tour in the United States, Yildiz made his first-team debut as a substitute on the first day of the 2023-24 Serie A season in a 3-0 win at Udinese.

But he only gained fleeting substitute appearances in the coming months and actually made his full debut for Tukey before doing so for Juventus. He scored a fantastic goal in this game in a 3-2 win in and against Germany, the country of his birth.

Finally, Yildiz was unleashed by manager Max Allegri from the start in the days leading up to Christmas in the trip to Frosinone in Serie A.

Yildiz scored a brilliant goal to break the deadlock in a 2-1 win. He cut in from the left in between two defenders before burying his finish. This made him the youngest foreign player ever to score for the club.

The teenager has not looked back since. He has started four of Juventus’ last five games, scoring three goals - all of them wonderful strikes.

He lashed home a rocket after again cutting in from the left in the 6-1 thrashing of Salernitana in the Coppa Italia, before volleying home in mid-air from a long Weston McKennie pass in the 4-0 defeat of Frosinone in the same cup.

Yildiz has already been compared to Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero, who was his idol as a kid. Like the 2006 World Cup winner, Yildiz loves to cut in from the left and boasts wonderful control, technique and the ability to beat a man and unleash a shot in on goal. He even celebrates in the same way as Del Piero did, sticking out his tongue when he scores. The pair have developed something of a bromance together.

He is very tactically flexible, able to play as an attacking central midfielder, a winger and as a support striker in a front two.

He appears to have a good attitude and temperament, famously cutting his long hair off the day after Allegri requested him to.

"Kenan will become a great player,” Allegri has said. “Kenan has a great footballing brain. He's technically gifted and is very direct. As a player, he doesn't mess about."

Yildiz was born to a Turkish father and German mother in Germany. He declared for Turkey, playing for their youth teams before debuting for the senior side. He has one goal in three caps and seems certain to go to Euro 2024. Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella has said that Yildiz will become a world class player.

What clubs are interested in Kenan Yildiz?

Both Arsenal and Liverpool are big fans of Yildiz and would like to sign the teenager.

Earlier on in the season, when Yildiz was not seeing any senior football, there appeared a possibility that the attacker could push for a transfer in the January 2024 market.

However, after breaking into the first team, Yildiz’s future is firmly with Juve. The Bianconeri see the teenager as a pillar to build their future around, and the player himself is very happy.

Yildiz’s contract at Juventus expires in June 2027.

How old is Kenan Yildiz?

Yildiz is 18 years old. He was born on 4 May 2005.