The Talent Calendar
Ultimately, Bayern Munich were unable to keep top talent Kenan Yildiz. A long list of top clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Juventus wanted the 17-year-old, whose contract was expiring in Munich. “Yildiz is a young and talented player, and we would have liked to keep him,” Bayern director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic said in a press release. “But we were unable and unwilling to fulfill his financial demands. Juventus had no such issues and signed him until 2025. The Bianconeri were not only able to fulfill his financial demands but also offered the right sporting project.
“Juve are banking on him,” Transfermarkt Turkey editor Sinan Yener said. And Yildiz’s performances underline that he is happy in Turin. The attacking midfielder has scored nine goals and five assists in 17 games for Juventus’ U19. A great start that has already been recognized by the Italian press. Turin’s newspaper Tuttosport described Yildiz as Paul Pogba’s success, who was signed from United’s academy in 2012 on a free transfer. “Pogba aside, Federico Chiesa and Ángel Di Maria are Yildiz’s role models,” Yener said. “His movements on the pitch most closely match those of the Brazilian Kaká. In Germany, he was often compared to Mesut Özil. But he is perhaps more trigger-happy in front of goal.”
It is, therefore, not surprising that Yildiz was one of the 60 players nominated for the 2022 Golden Boy Award, which is annually handed out to the most promising U21 player in the World. “He is a typical playmaker; he has developed well physically and has worked on his fitness; he is a player who likes to play vertically with an aim to get the ball quickly into the box,” Yener said. “He perhaps needs to become a bit calmer on the ball,” Yener added when asked about the player’s weaknesses.
Bellingham, Chukwuemeka & Co. – The 60 nominees for the 2022 Golden Boy award
Jude Bellingham | BVB | England | Market value: €80m
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Pedri | Barcelona | Spain | Market value: €80m
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Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | Germany | Market value: €65m
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Gavi | Barcelona | Spain | Market value: €60m
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Ansu Fati | Barcelona | Spain | Market value: €60m
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Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid | France | Market value: €55m
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Yéremy Pino | Villarreal | Spain | Market value: €40m
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Nuno Mendes | Sporting/PSG | Portugal | Market value: €40m
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Giovanni Reyna | BVB | USA | Market value: €35m
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Karim Adeyemi | RB Salzburg/BVB | Germany | Market value: €35m
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Ryan Gravenberch | Ajax/Bayern Munich | Netherlands | Market value: €35m
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Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig | Croatia | Market value: €35m
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Hugo Ekitike | Stade Reims/PSG | France | Market value: €28m
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Harvey Elliott | Liverpool | England | Market value: €22m
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Nico González | Barcelona/Valencia | Spain | Market value: €20m
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Castello Lukeba | Lyon | France | Market value: €20m
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Anthony Elanga | Man United | Sweden | Market value: €20m
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Adam Hlozek | Sparta Prague/ Bayer 04 | Czech Republic | Market value: €19m
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Aaron Hickey | Bologna/Brentford | Scotland | Market value: €18m
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Noni Madueke | PSV | England | Market value: €18m
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Arnaud Kalimuendo | Lens/PSG/Rennes | France | Market value: €18m
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Destiny Udogie| Hellas/Udinese | Italy | Market value: €17m
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Piero Hincapié | Bayer Leverkusen | Ecuador | Market value: €17m
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Youssoufa Moukoko | BVB | Germany | Market value: €15m
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Pape Matar Sarr | Metz/Spurs | Senegal | Market value: €15m
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Mohamed-Ali Cho | Angers/Real Sociedad | France | Market value: €15m
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Yunus Musah | Valencia | USA | Market value: €15m
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Fábio Silva | Wolves/Anderlecht | Portugal | Market value: €15m
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Fábio Carvalho | Fulham/Liverpool | Portugal | Market value: €12m
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Nicola Zalewski | Roma | Poland | Market value: €12m
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Nico Williams | Athletic Club | Spain | Market value: €12m
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Giorgio Scalvini | Atalanta | Italy | Market value: €10m
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Benjamin Sesko | RB Salzburg | Slovenia | Market value: €10m
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Ansgar Knauff | Frankfurt (on loan from BVB) | Germany | Market value: €10m
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Wilfried Gnonto | FC Zürich | Italy | Market value: €10m
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Kristjan Asllani | Empoli/Inter | Albania | Market value: €10m
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Brian Brobbey | Ajax | Netherlands | Market value: €9m
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Reinier | BVB/Real Madrid | Brazil | Market value: €8m
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Eliot Matazo | Monaco | Belgium | Market value: €8m
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Francisco Conceição | Porto/Ajax | Portugal | Market value: €8m
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Jan Thielmann | 1.FC Köln | Germany | Market value: €7.5m
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Lucien Agoumé | Stade Brest (on loan from Inter) | France | Market value: €7m
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Mattia Viti | Empoli/Nice | Italy | Market value: €7m
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Cole Palmer | Man City | England | Market value: €6m
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Carney Chukwuemeka | Villa/Chelsea | England | Market value: €6m
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Ki-Jana Hoever | Wolves/PSV | Netherlands | Market value: €6m
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Paulo Bernardo | Benfica | Portugal | Market value: €5m
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Sebastiano Esposito | Basle/Anderlecht (on loan from Inter) | Italy | Market value: €5m
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Henrique Araújo | Benfica B | Portugal | Market value: €5m
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Fabio Miretti | Juventus | Italy | Market value: €5m
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Stipe Biuk | Hajduk Split | Croatia | Market value: €4.5m
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Álex Balde | Barcelona B | Spain | Market value: €4m
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Matteo Cancellieri | Hellas/Lazio | Italy | Market value: €3m
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Bjorn Meijer | Groningen/Brugge | Netherlands | Market value: €3m
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Matías Soulé | Juventus U23 | Argentina | Market value: €2.5m
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Alejandro Garnacho | Man United | Argentina | Market value: €2m
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Mathys Tel | Rennes/Bayern Munich | France | Market value: €2m
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Karamoko Dembélé | Celtic/Brestois | France | Market value: €0.25m
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Diego Moreira | Benfica U19 | Portugal | Market value: –
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Kenan Yildiz | Bayern Munich/Juventus | Turkey | Market value: –
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Yildiz started playing as a five-year-old for SV Sallern Regensburg, and after just one year, he joined the academy of the then-third-division side SSV Jahn. There he was quickly discovered by Bayern, where he played for ten years. “He was considered one of the biggest talents in Munich,” Yener said. “Losing him on a free transfer really hurt the club.”
Internationally, Yildiz represents Turkey and already made his debut for the U21. Previously, the attacking midfielder missed the U17 European Championship last May with a ligament injury. “Germany, too, have him on the radar, but the Turkish football federation will go all in for the player,” Yener said. “It won’t be much longer until he manages to be called up to the senior national team.” Juve fans have also been demanding that Yildiz should receive a chance with the first team and have celebrated the free transfer as a coup on the transfer market.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2004. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
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