Juventus have finally found the ‘next Alessandro Del Piero’

When Kenan Yildiz picked up the ball on the left, he raced forward, dropped his shoulder to cut inside past a PSV Eindhoven defender and then curled wonderfully into the tightest corner of the network, all Juventus fans attended the Allianz. Stadium or at home on his couch he got up and shouted the same thing:

“Del Pierooooo!”

And while this was a Freudian slip, it was very understandable.

First, the goal was scored by a player wearing Juve’s famous number ten shirt, something synonymous with club icon Alessandro Del Piero.

It was also an ‘Il Gol Alla Del Piero’, and it took social media by storm with the legendary Juve striker’s famous strike against Steaua Bucharest, apart from the obvious advances in the camera quality of video, it was pretty hard to find. a difference in footage.

Yildiz also played with the expected comparisons, sticking out his tongue in celebration in the same way Del Piero did after nearly all of his 290 goals for La Vecchia Signora.

Comparisons between Juventus’ new number ten and their best number ten don’t start and end with this wonderful strike; which set Thiago Motta’s side on the way to an impressive 3-1 win at PSV.

From the first day he arrived Juve Bayern Munich’s 17-year-old Turkish youngster has been hailed as the ‘next Del Piero’.

It’s been a bill that has weighed a little too heavily on pretenders to the throne in the past. Sebastian Giovinco, although he had a good career, never reached the Del Piero level that Juve fans were hoping for. Nor did it quite work out for academy graduates Davide Lanzafame or Filippo Boniperti, despite the lineage. And thanks to the injuries that took their toll, Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa never became ‘Legends of Juventus’.

This time, with Yildiz, things feel a little different.

The way the club is emphasizing the youngster is a clear indication of that.

Having impressed when given sporadic minutes under previous manager Massimiliano Allegri last season, the new long-term contract and the No.10 shirt that came with it are signs that the club’s hierarchy have sought to build their new squad around the Turkish international, despite him. only 19 years old.

And so far, it seemed like a smart decision.

Yildiz has thrived in this new role as the club’s star man, playing as if he is relishing the burden of billing as the ‘next Del Piero’.

Proof of this can be found in the fact that he is already breaking some of Del Piero’s records at the club, recently becoming Juve’s youngest player. Champions League starter and scorer in the win against PSV Eindhoven.

It can also be found in his performance levels in Serie A in the opening weeks of the 2024/25 season. Although he is yet to score a league goal, the number ten has been the focal point of virtually every Juve attack, regularly getting past opposition players and giving the ball to teammates in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his two assists in four starts.

When it finally finds the net in Serie A, expect Juve fans to rise again and exclaim:

“Del Pierooooo!”

And you might take that statement as less Freudian slip, and a bit more like when Javier Bardem’s character Stilgar in Dune Two shouts “Lisan Al Gaib!” every time Paul Atreides – Timothée Chalamet’s character – did it literally anything.

For the exclamation of “Del Pierooooo!” whenever Yildiz scores, Juve fans basically shout “Lisan Al Gaib!”, hailing Yildiz as the second coming of their greatest ever player.

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