Kerim Alajbegovic addressed Sky Sport at the final whistle of Thursday’s 5-0 Europa League demolition of NEC Nijmegen — and the warmth, the gratitude, and the genuine joy of a teenager who has scored on his European debut were entirely visible in every word.
“I Am Truly Proud of My Goal — We Are So Happy”
“I am truly proud of my goal. We are absolutely delighted to have won 5-0, playing very well. We want to continue in this way. I had come close to scoring last week against Sassuolo too — but the most important thing is always the victory of the team. Our Europa League journey has begun today and we want to continue it well.”
The goal — a thunderous left-foot strike that was, TMW noted alongside the interview, worthy of the second 18-year-old to score for Juventus in a European competition — was everything Alajbegovic’s admirers had been expecting since his arrival. The phrase “il siluro di Alajbegovic” — Alajbegovic’s torpedo — appeared immediately across Italian social media. The temporal shock that Spalletti had described in his pre-season assessment of the player was visible in a single moment of explosive, entirely unpredictable quality.
“The NEC Was a Good Team — Not Simple. But We Showed Our Qualities”
On the match itself, the 19-year-old was generous in his respect for the opposition. “The NEC is a good team — it was not simple. But we showed our qualities. We are truly proud of this victory.”
“I Must Thank My Manager — He Is Truly Extraordinary and a Very Good Person”
The most heartfelt passage concerned Spalletti — the manager who has been simultaneously patient and demanding with the young Bosnian throughout a pre-season and opening weeks of competitive football in which Alajbegovic has started more matches than many expected. “I am very happy with the time I have had on the pitch. And I must thank my manager — who is truly extraordinary and a very good person. We must look forward and do our very best.”
