Edon Zhegrova wants to leave his mark. With his national team and with Juventus. At the neutral venue in Debrecen, Hungary, in Kosovo’s goalless draw against Israel, he spent the better part of the second half warming up on the touchline — looking repeatedly towards his own bench, waiting for the signal from manager Franco Foda that never arrived until the 77th minute. He replaced Matoshi, the result did not change, but the difference was immediately visible: a player with an educated left foot who could talk to the ball more fluently than any of his colleagues inside the Nagyerdei Stadium. A message sent, clearly and deliberately, that he deserves more space and more consideration.
Foda defended the decision at a press conference that very nearly did not happen, with only two journalists present: “Zhegrova started the first match against Ireland, played the second half against Austria and scored a penalty, and against Israel I needed him for the final stages. I have no doubts about his qualities — but he’s coming back from injury and has not played so much at his club either. Edon will certainly be useful.” A conclusion shared by the player himself, in his SportMediaset exclusive.
“I’m Really Happy to Be at Juventus — It’s a Privilege. I Stayed Because I Love This Club”
The declaration of attachment that sets the tone of the entire interview is the most significant passage for understanding what the Saudi Arabia window represented and why Zhegrova is still at the Continassa despite having been left off both UEFA squad lists. “I am really very happy to be at Juventus — it’s a great club and I can only be pleased with my teammates, the manager, the staff, the whole squad. It is a privilege for me to be part of this club. I will give the best of myself every time I’m chosen to play. I stayed because I love this club and I want to achieve something great here, to do great things. When they bought me I was really very happy — and I didn’t want to leave Juventus in this way.”
The final phrase is the most revealing. Zhegrova had opportunities to leave during the Saudi Arabia window — opportunities that closed on 12 October. He did not take them. The reason, stated with complete directness, is that departing under these circumstances — marginally used, absent from the European lists, reduced to cameo appearances — would have represented an exit that did not reflect the quality he knows he possesses, or the ambition that brought him to Juventus in the first place.
“The Europa League Exclusion? A Choice by Spalletti — I Respect Every Decision”
On the most sensitive institutional question: “It’s a choice by Luciano Spalletti. Whatever is decided, I will give my best for the club and I respect every decision.” The professionalism and the brevity of the response are both notable. There is no resentment in the words, and no hint of the friction that the absence from the UEFA lists might have been expected to generate. He understands the hierarchy. He accepts the position. He is working towards changing it from within rather than seeking an exit.
“Is Juventus Better Than Inter? I Don’t Want to Talk About That — But Juventus Is Always Better”
The question designed to invite a diplomatic answer produced instead one of the most characteristically Zhegrova moments of the interview — delivered with a smile that the transcript alone cannot fully capture. “I don’t want to talk about that. But Juventus is always better.” It is the declaration of a man who has absorbed the institutional identity of the club he plays for, who is genuinely part of it in the way that only those who have chosen to stay rather than leave can be. Seventy-two competitive minutes this season — across four appearances, including the brace at Sassuolo from the bench that remains his most vivid contribution. He wants that tally to feel like a footnote by the time the season ends. Cagliari on 11 October is the next opportunity to begin rewriting it.
