If you’ve ever seen Luciano Spalletti deliver one of his hugs on the sideline to one of his players, you know that he is somebody who cares deeply about his guys. Those hugs are even more the noticeable
when he delivers one to a certain young man who wears the No. 10 and goes by the name of Kenan Yildiz. The manager appreciates the player — and you know that’s the case when he affectionately calls Juve’s young Turkish star “an alien” and means it in the most complimentary way that you can.
And that is why when you see the news that arrived this weekend that the 20-year-old Yildiz has signed a new contract with Juventus through 2030, Spalletti knows just how important it can be.
Both for the player — and especially for the club that is building its future around Yildiz and his incredible skills.
Spalletti described Yildiz’s contract announcement on Saturday as “an important day for the future of Juventus” — something that pretty much every Bianconeri supporter can wholeheartedly agree with. Spalletti added that “it’s wonderful to think about having Kenan with the team for as many years as possible,” especially considering how he has become such an important part of the squad well ahead of his 21st birthday in May.
Yildiz’s new contract will reportedly see him become one of the highest paid players on the squad, with a €6 million net salary is more than triple of what he was making under his previous deal that he signed ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season.
There is also reportedly an option for another season to be added onto the deal that would extend it through 2031. If all goes to plan, Yildiz would likely sign another new contract before that arrives. (You know, because he’s signed three new contracts in the last 3 1/2 years, there’s probably a good chance of that happening.)
Spalletti made no mistake during his pre-match press conference talking about how Yildiz has become a leader on this team despite still being just 20 years old. It confirms what former Juve manager Igor Tudor thought of Yildiz when he made him a vice captain behind Manuel Locatelli and Gleison Bremer earlier this season, with the young Turk wearing the captain’s armband a couple of times already this season.
“First of all, it gives strength to the entire team. The assessments of these champions are based on how much they can connect with the rest of the squad,” Spalletti said. “That’s how you become stronger. He has this explosive one-on-one ability, putting you in a position of great advantage. Those who have this quality give you a spark to immediately create something important.
“Yildiz is really something special. The fact that he’s very young is part of the culture and the family he comes from. It’s a merit, and you can see that he’s a young man who has received proper guidance. He’s always smiling, joking with everyone. Knowing how to be with people and understand them is an extremely important quality.”
After seeing drawn out contract talks with previous young standouts like Dusan Vlahovic and previously Federico Chiesa as well as the lengthy dispute with Paulo Dybala before he left on a free transfer, the fact that Yildiz and Juventus got something done is no small feat. Juve have committed a lot financially to Yildiz and are now banking on him continuing this incredible trajectory that he has been on since making his senior team debut under Max Allegri a little more than two years ago.
And if this is what happens been able to do over the previous two years, then the next couple of years should be just as exciting — or even more of that — when it comes to how good Yildiz has become.
