In the words of the great Benjamin Franklin, only three things in this world are certain: Death, taxes, and Weston McKennie remaining a crucial figure at Juventus despite the protests of countless Juve supporters.
Born in Fort Lewis, Washington, McKennie spent the bulk of his childhood in Texas, apart from a three-year spell in Germany. It was here where he rose through the ranks at FC Dallas and eventually attracting the interest of University of Virginia, only to reject his scholarship offer as well
as a Homegrown Player contract from Dallas, and join German colossus Schalke in 2016.
After cutting his teeth at the academy level, McKennie made the step up to the first team in 2017 and established himself as a versatile cog under David Wagner, making 91 appearances and helping Schalke qualify for the UEFA Champions League. This, combined with his increasingly impressive performances from the US Men’s National Team, attracted the attention of Juventus. The Bianconeri signed him on a year-long loan on August 29, 2020 for a potential purchase fee of €18.5 million, which could increase by an additional fee of €7 million.
At the time, Juventus were eyeing an unprecedented 10th straight Scudetto. Juve fell short of their goal by a considerable margin, finishing fourth in the table, but McKennie nevertheless made a strong impression by scoring six goals and three assists in 46 appearances across the 2020-21 season. In his first-ever season in Italy, McKennie emerged as a crucial figure under Andrea Pirlo, helping Juve win the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
But whilst it was good enough for Pirlo, it wasn’t quite good enough for a demanding Juve fanbase that had grown accustomed to bona fide world-class midfielders like Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Pirlo and Paul Pogba. Nevertheless, McKennie continued his progression under Max Allegri by starting week in week out and putting in some major contributions in midfield.
However, after struggling with injuries and failing to impose his best football under Allegri, McKennie decided to make the move to Leeds United in January 2023. This proved to be a lose-lose situation: McKennie failed to adjust to life in England, with Leeds fans growing increasingly exasperated at playing an on-loan player instead of club-owned midfielders like Adam Forshaw, Darko Gyabi, and Mateusz Klich. And rather than link up with fellow American Jesse Marsch, McKennie went through four coaches in as many months as Leeds suffered relegation.
Following a dreadful chapter in Leeds that McKennie would later call one of of the lowest points of his career, McKennie rediscovered his form in the 2023-24 season, helping Juve finish third and win the Coppa Italia. Whereas some Juve fans would have expected a departure after he remained on the bench for their final two months, McKennie instead remained one of the first names on the team sheet under both Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor.
It’s been more of the same this season, with McKennie becoming a vital figure under Luciano Spalletti. He’s proving far more decisive in the final third as well; one week after scoring in Juve’s chaotic victory against Bodø/Glimt, McKennie kicked off December by providing an assist in their 2-0 win vs. Udinese, before following that up with an assist vs. Napoli. And on Wednesday, he gave Juve the lead after gracefully turning and smashing it into the top of the net in a 2-0 win over Pafos in the UEFA Champions League.
McKennie has been nicknamed ‘Big Mac’ and ‘Texas Boy’ during his spell in Italy, but his nickname might as well be ‘scorpion’ or ‘tardigrade’ or ‘mummichog.’ He’s survived so many different managerial rebuilds, so many different squad makeovers, you get the sense that he could very well survive a nuclear apocalypse like those aforementioned organisms.
No matter how many times Juve try to sell him, no matter how many coaching changes Juve go through, no matter how many Juve fans ask for his departure, the Texan continues to find his way back into the team. It’s not hard to see why; McKennie’s selfless dedication on and off the ball as well as his versatility have seen him slot into a number of positions from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder to fullback to winger.
Whether he’s lunging in to deliver a last-ditch tackle, or trotting forward to get on the end of a cross, or splitting the defense with a masterful through pass, McKennie continues to deliver in a plethora of ways. He is the true definition of a team player and a box-to-box dynamo, capable of making a difference in every single area of the pitch.
It’s precisely these attributes that have seen McKennie endear himself to different coaches like Pirlo, Allegri, Tudor, Motta and now Spalletti. It’s why he’s outlasted far more technically adept players like Arthur Melo, Leandro Paredes, and Douglas Luiz and continues to be the last remaining member of Juve’s 2020-21 team. It’s why, despite everything, he’s still managed to rack up 20 goals and 21 assists in 202 appearances for La Vecchia Signora.
For far too long, McKennie has been conveniently scapegoated for Juve’s far more complex issues. He’s far from the most aesthetically pleasing player — he isn’t going to give you the same heel-flicks or rabonas or stepovers that someone like Pogba or Paulo Dybala might. But he is going to put in a shift and lead by example, as well as serve as a bridge between the coach and younger players like Francisco Conceição and Khéphren Thuram.
The stats don’t lie: McKennie leads Juventus for tackles per game (3.2) in the UEFA Champions League in addition to sitting third for interceptions (1.0) and clearances (2.0), whilst he also ranks second for key passes (1.8) and goals, and only Kenan Yıldız and Dušan Vlahović have more goal contributions (4) than him (2). And at 27, he’s only going to keep improving.
It’s been said that the best ability is availability, and that’s proven the case for McKennie. Take away the metatarsal fracture that he suffered following a foul from Pervis Estupiñán, and he’s only missed 21 matches due to injury for club and country since joining Juve. This, combined with his all-action skillset, has seen him become a key figure for the Old Lady.
Ultimately, as long as Juventus continue to lag behind their rivals on the domestic and international scene, McKennie will never get the respect that he deserves. With his contract set to expire in the summer, it may very well be time for both parties to move on. When that does happen, Bianconeri supporters should come together and recognize that, far from being a problem, he was a solution. After all, you don’t reach 200 appearances for Juventus by being a complete fraud.
