Kenan Yildiz proving worthy of iconic Juventus No. 10

When Juventus handed Kenan Yildiz the No. 10 shirt ahead of the 2024-25 season, it looked like more than just a gesture: the club were signalling that this teenager was expected to carry the weight of legacy, hopes and pressure.

Now, in the 2025-26 campaign, Yildiz is beginning to show that the confidence placed in him may not have been misplaced. At just 20 years old and with a growing résumé in Turin, he is emerging as one of Europe’s most intriguing young attacking talents.

Yildiz was born in Regensburg, Germany, on 4 May 2005, to a Turkish father and a German mother, and spent his formative years in the Bayern Munich youth system. In 2022, his Bayern contract expired, and Juventus pounced, initially assigning him to their youth and Next Gen ranks. He was officially promoted to the first team in November 2023 and by the following summer Juventus gave him the storied No. 10 shirt once worn by Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Baggio.

The faith is beginning to be justified. In five appearances so far this season, he has already contributed two goals and registered four assists across all competitions. In four Serie A outings, he’s scored once and providing three assists in just 359 minutes of action. This impressive start to the new campaign builds on a record of solid output for a player so young, with scoring 10 goals and assisting 7 in 66 Serie A games. Those are steady numbers for a 20-year-old in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues.

Yildiz has also delivered in high-stakes fixtures. In June 2025 at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, he scored twice and forced an own goal in Juventus’s 4-1 victory over Wydad Casablanca, underlining his knack for making an impact on the biggest stages. He has become a fixture in Igor Tudor’s frontline, whether starting from the left, drifting into central pockets or operating in support of the rejuvenated Dusan Vlahovic.

On the pitch, Yildiz offers a rare blend of size, technical skill and tactical intelligence. Standing at 6ft 1ins, he has the frame to cope physically, but his real weapons are his close control, ability to turn in tight spaces and a willingness to shoot from distance. His versatility means he can operate anywhere along the second line of attack, which makes him difficult to mark and gives Juventus flexibility in their forward play.

Consistency, naturally, is still the hurdle. At his age, the flashes of brilliance can be punctuated by quieter games and the pressure of wearing Juventus’s most iconic shirt guarantees scrutiny. But the trajectory is clear: Yildiz has established himself not just as a promising youngster, but as a player already shaping matches in Serie A and beyond.

For Juventus, the No. 10 shirt is a symbol of identity. In Yildiz, they may have found a player capable of both carrying the tradition and writing a new chapter.

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