How do you go from being one of the worst players on the pitch in Juventus’s ugliest performance of the season to the cover star in four days? The answer is the power of being 19 and talented. Kerim Alajbegović needed only a flash, with his left foot, delivered with the disarming naturalness of someone who is truly two-footed and strikes the ball with equal power from either side, without having to adjust it onto a stronger leg.
The Strike That Lifted the Allianz
“Power” is the keyword of the technical act that brought the whole Stadium to its feet, along with the many supporters who have so often demanded that the team try its luck from distance. What had been missing until now was visible in that moment: the courage to shoot, to attempt the play, to take responsibility, all delivered through the foot and vision of the youngest man on the pitch.
Going from the darkest night to a leading role within a matter of days is, in Tuttosport’s reading, a question of personality, a quality that critics have repeatedly described as lacking in the squad as a whole. Here it arrived in generous measure from a teenager capable of breaking records.
The Record, and the Yamal Connection
The record is a notable one. Alajbegović has become the youngest player this season to score at least one goal and provide at least one assist in Europe’s five major leagues. He shares his birth year with a superstar, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, as well as with another rising Barcelona talent, Xavi Espart, Brighton’s Premier League prospect Charalampos Kostoulas and Roma’s Emanuele Lulli.
The German-born player chose to represent Bosnia at international level, and Italian fans remember him well. Sporting director Massara, who worked on the deal with Bayer Leverkusen worth more than €30 million, has always believed in him. The goal is a vindication of that conviction, coming at the moment when the player’s early-season minutes had come under heavy scrutiny, including three half-time substitutions in his previous starts.
A Lighter Atmosphere at the Continassa
The article also records a calmer mood at the training ground after the Napoli win, with faces described as more serene. Woltemade, who has been under criticism himself this week, was among those applauding. “Great goal!” he said of his teammate’s strike.
It is a small detail, but it matches the tone of Boga’s account of the pre-match agreement with Zhegrova to shoot earlier, and of the retreat’s effect on team spirit. The team that had been described as lacking personality produced its best moment through its youngest member, and the dressing room appears to have noticed.
