Juventus picked up where they left off by succumbing to a second straight stalemate, with Dušan Vlahović’s second-half equalizer securing a point at home against Hellas Verona this past weekend. It was a dreary display in front of goal in Turin, one that sees them now occupy fourth place with three games left, two points behind Milan, one above Roma, but one player who showed up for the Bianconeri was Francisco Conceição.
By the time that Conceição joined Juventus in August 2024, he had already amassed
an incredible footballing pedigree that had seen him represent two of the biggest clubs in Europe — Porto and Ajax — as well as score in his competitive Portugal debut in the 2024 Euros.
He enjoyed an auspicious start to life in Italian football, scoring in his second match vs. Genoa and bagging assists in three of his next five matches, before slowing down in production and finishing the season with 7 goals and 6 assists in 40 appearances. And after bouncing around from Thiago Motta to Igor Tudor, Conceição is unlocking his top level under Luciano Spalletti.
Having led Portugal to glory in the 2025 UEFA Nations League, Conceição has since emerged as a vital cog on the right side of attack and delivered the best form of his professional career, and the proof is in the pudding. Only Kenan Yıldız has registered more shots, shots on target, and successful dribbles per 90 than Conceição in Juventus’ squad this season, whilst only Weston McKennie and Yıldız have more assists than him in Serie A.
Conceição is making his presence felt on both ends of the pitch: he’s making more interceptions (0.3) and tackles (1.0) than last season, whilst he’s also winning 4.1 ground duels per 90, well ahead of last season’s 3.6. He’s gone from the 48/49% range in dribbles and ground duels to 51/52%, ascending from 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 to 1.8, whilst he’s also showcased far more maturity and tactical variety in his game.
Last season, Conceição was mainly confined to the right touchline, but this season, he’s been far more willing to exploit central areas and put his technical finesse to good use. The 23-year-old winger is as slippery as an eel, with his short stature and tight turning radius enabling him to swiftly change direction and bamboozle defenders whilst keeping the ball glued to his feet. He’s also putting in a shift off the ball — only Fabio Miretti (2.0) has won possession in the final third more than him (1.2).
From Day 1, Conceição has left Juventus supporters at the edge of their seats, but the main criticism that has been leveed upon him is that for all his intrepid dribbling and unpredictable brilliance, he isn’t consistent enough in the final third. Indeed, prior to March 1, he had only scored two goals vs. Hellas Verona and Roma in addition to one assist vs. Parma.
However, it’s evident that things are starting to change for him. After kicking off March with a goal at Roma and an assist vs. Pisa, Conceição was held under wraps at Udine before assisting in his next two matches vs. Sassuolo and Genoa. He’s failed to register a goal contribution in his next four matches, but that hasn’t stopped him from making an impact, whether that’s catching defenders off guard with a sudden burst or weaving his way into the box with an audacious dribbling escapade.
Conceição has taken to Spalletti’s progressive style of play like a duck to water, and his display against Hellas Verona was yet the latest testament to his stellar talent. He engineered Juve’s first half-chance after playing a short corner and launching a promising cross towards the far post, where Lloyd Kelly headed into the ground. Juve had Verona on the ropes, and it seemed they were about to break the deadlock within a quarter-hour as Conceição chested down the ball before launching a rocket towards the near post, where Lorenzo Montipò got down quickly to thwart his effort.
Constantly looking to make things happen, constantly looking to sow the seeds of chaos into the opposing backline, it was Conceição who won the free kick for Vlahović’s equalizer. He very nearly tapped home the go-ahead goal after making a blind-side run and volleying a cross from Andrea Cambiaso, but Montipò was there to clear it off the line. Juve repeated the same formula, only to find the same result, as Montipò deflected Conceição’s header off the line, with the Portuguese winger eventually making way for Edon Zhegrova in the 80th minute.
Conceição delivered a Man of the Match display on and off the ball, earning praise from the likes of Shawn McIntosh and proving why he is crucial to Juve’s present and future, and whilst he wasn’t able to convert any of his opportunities, he nevertheless helped generate quite a few chances. Conceição won 5 fouls, made 5 recoveries, completed 3 out of 3 accurate long balls, and won 8 out of 11 ground duels, whilst he also created 4 chances and hit the target on 3 occasions.
It’s undeniable that Conceição still has plenty of room for improvement as he looks to reach the level of Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, Vinícius Júnior, and Khvicha Kvaratshkelia and establish himself as one of the finest wingers in the game. He’s still far too imprecise with his finishing — only Jonathan David and McKennie have missed more big chances than him — whilst he could stand to be a little more balanced in his usage of his feet as opposed to consistently working it onto his stronger left.
Nevertheless, Francisco Conceição has everything it takes to enjoy a meteoric progression in Italy and forge a sensational synergy with Yıldız in the flanks, and at 23, he’s only going to get better. There’s every reason to believe that Conceição will play a crucial role off the bench for Portugal in this summer’s FIFA World Cup, but first, can he help Juventus solidify top four and eke out a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League?
