Juventus striker Kenan Yildiz confirms his goal celebration was inspired by Alessandro Del Piero and admits he was shocked when he heard his name in the starting XI.
Yildiz scored on his debut as a starter for Juventus on Saturday, breaking the deadlock at minute 12 of an away Serie A game against Frosinone.
“For me, this is too great, thanks to everyone. To the fans, they are crazy, look at them! Thanks to the coach who gave me a chance, Grazie a tutti, Grazie mille,” Yildiz told DAZN after the final whistle, mixing English and Italian.
The 18-year-old celebrated his debut Serie A goal by sticking out his tongue as he had done after scoring his first international goal for Turkey in November. It is familiar to Juventus fans who saw legend Alessandro Del Piero celebrate in the same way many times.
“I did already last year with the U19, he [Del Piero] is a legend,” said the Turkish starlet.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri had said in August that Yildiz had to cut his hair and the striker did it after his Serie A debut as a substitute against Udinese.
“The mister is a great coach to me; when he told me to cut my hair, I didn’t wait, and I did what he said. Thanks for everything. He told me to be calm and I had a chance today.”
Where did he learn he would start against Frosinone?
“Yesterday, because it didn’t go well for Federico Chiesa in training,” Yildiz revealed.
“Yesterday he [Allegri] told me [I would play], but I wasn’t sure. This morning, he told us the starting XI, and I was like, ‘Wow’, I was a little shocked. It was great to hear my name in the starting XI.”
So, how did he sleep last night?
“I slept well; I did normal things because I had done it already, so I thought I was going to do it; I was calm,” he replied.
What did his Juventus teammates tell him after the game?
“First, they said, ‘You have to pay a dinner for us’,” Yildiz revealed, smiling.
“We are a team, we fight for the fans and everything. We hope to end the season first. Let’s see.”
Yildiz concluded by naming his idols and role models.
“From Juventus, Zidane, Del Piero and a lot more. Then, of course, Messi and Ronaldo. There isn’t just one. I’ve played in different positions and I’ve watched a lot of videos.”