Kenan Yildiz grabbed the headlines as Juventus picked apart PSV Eindhoven to get their Champions League campaign off to a flyer. The Turin powerhouse routed the Dutch champions 3-1 on the back of the teenager’s incredible opening goal.
Many were surprised when Juventus handed the Turkish prodigy the coveted number ten in the summer. Four consecutive Serie A starts without a goal only fueled the skepticism. However, Yildiz’s unquestionable talent has never been a subject of discussion.
After registering two assists against Hellas Verona and Como, the Juventus starlet went quiet in the last two league rounds. Thiago Motta desperately needed his illustrious forward to deliver something in a 0-0 draw against Empoli on Saturday. Yet, the kid remained radio-silent.
Juventus had plenty of questions to answer on Tuesday. And they passed the test with flying colors, inspired by Yildiz’s sublime performance. The ex-Bayern Munich academy player opened the scoring with a stunning strike from the edge of the box for his first Champions League goal.
In doing so, Yildiz carved his name out in the club’s folklore. His strike came at the expense of Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero, making him the youngest-ever Bianconeri star to score in European football. Del Piero long held the record, having netted at 20 years and 308 days.
But Yildiz removed the legendary Italy international from the throne, scoring at 19 years and 136 days. If this achievement is a sign of things to come, Juventus can look forward to the future with great optimism.
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