On August 20, Massimiliano Allegri handed Kenan Yildiz his Juventus debut, bringing the 18-year-old on for the final five minutes of the Serie A meeting with Udinese at the Stadio Friuli. Allegri was asked in his post-match press conference how he felt Yildiz had fared during. The notoriously gruff Tuscan replied, “He has to get his hair cut. He touched his hair a hundred times. So he has to have it cut tomorrow. And then let’s take things from there.”
Yildiz went to the barber the very next day and sent a message to his manager: “Mister, football comes first. So, everything you say, I’m going to do – because you’re the boss!” Allegri was suitably impressed: “It shows that he’s a smart boy who listens.”
Indeed, the feeling in Turin is that Turkey’s teenage sensation is as intelligent as he is talented, and can become a genuine superstar if he manages to keep his feet on the ground.