Yildiz shines for Turkey
A goal that hurts Germany and FC Bayern
November 19, 2023, 4:26 p.m
Kenan Yildiz was born in Germany and trained at FC Bayern. The 18-year-old’s dream goal in the friendly in Berlin hit the DFB particularly hard. Like his idol Alessandro Del Piero once did, he hit the German national team right in the heart.
In the biggest moment of his young football career so far, Kenan Yildiz remembered his idol Alessandro Del Piero. After his dream goal against the DFB team, the Turkish teenager showed his tongue and spread his arms in celebration – just like the great Italian always did. Like Del Piero once, Yildiz hit the hearts of the German national team in Turkey’s 3-2 (2-1) win in Berlin. His shot from the five-point corner into the crease of the goal reminded some observers of Del Piero’s goal in the 2006 World Cup semi-final to make it 2-0 for Italy.
“I’m very happy,” said Yildiz, proudly sharing the video of his “nice” goal on Instagram with three raised index finger emojis. “I would like to thank everyone in the association for their trust,” added the 18-year-old. That could certainly be understood as a small tip towards the DFB. The son of a German woman and a Turkish man once complained that he “never approached me.” Yildiz was born in Regensburg and trained in FC Bayern’s youth team for ten years. The fact that the DFB spurned him, as the two-footed striker suggested, is probably only half the story.
Yildiz’s loyalty, said former Turkish national coach Stefan Kuntz, was to his father’s country early on. Especially since Turkey used to be able to attract the A-Team with the prospect. “That’s hard to beat,” said Kuntz, “I would be careful to say: ‘The DFB is sleeping here.'” And Bayern? How could this exceptional talent slip away from the record champions? “Hasan Salihamidžić may not have done the job that one or the other would have done,” said RTL expert Lothar Matthäus. The sports director at the time explained Yildiz’s move to Juventus Turin in 2022 with “his financial demands” that the Munich team did not want to “meet”.
Juventus, Kuntz explained, had presented Yildiz with “the perfect career plan.” He has now joined the professionals via the U19s and the second team, for whom he completed five short appearances this season. “I’m sure,” said coach Massimiliano Allegri, “that he will be a wonderful, top player.”