A smile as wide as his shoulders — and a fierce desire to impose himself, because he knows no other way of belonging to a team. Jhon Lucumí is living his first days as a Juventus player with two recurring thoughts: claim his place, and then keep building. He has done it his entire career: starting from Cali, Colombia; passing through Genk, Belgium; then Bologna, where he found maturity. And now Juventus — “the most important club in Italy” — which is above all “the step forward I always dreamed of.” He wants to earn it every single day.
“My First Memory — Playing with My Father”
“My first football memory is with my father. We would always form a team at the company where he worked and play together. I wanted to go with him, I would help him take out the kits and everything else. But in the end, the only thing I was really looking for was the ball. It was a way of spending time with him in the few free moments he had.”
On growing up in Cali: “For me it was very beautiful — it is a special city, I think it gave me everything. I grew there as a footballer too, at Deportivo Cali. I am very happy to have started from that culture, with those roots. It is what identifies me. When I go back, I feel the affection of the people — a love that is ours, and only ours. That will never leave me. It is always important to return to where you started.”
“My Grandmother, Belgium, and Meeting My Wife”
Lucumí’s maternal grandmother raised him while his parents worked — accompanying him to training when he was small, refusing to let him go alone. “She spoiled us. Much of who I am started with my ‘abuelita’.”
At twenty, he left Colombia for Belgium — “a fairly strong change, but I had to do it to reach more important objectives.” He found new cultures, habits, and a completely different language. “But my mindset was clear: I knew what I wanted to achieve and I knew I had to go through these situations. I concentrated only on playing and giving the best of myself.”
Belgium also gave him something he had not anticipated. “My wife is Colombian, but we met there — a true gift. Today she is the mother of my son, my woman, my wife. We met through friends — Daniel Muñoz, who plays with me in the national team, was at Genk, and she was a friend of his wife. We started talking and everything followed. I am very happy with the person I have at my side — it is a privilege.”
“Bologna Was Special — They Looked at Me When Nobody Else Could See Me”
On his move from Genk to Bologna: “Bologna was special. When I arrived, the club was not going through a positive moment — my arrival coincided with something good. We improved enormously, started winning many matches, grew as a team and in mentality.”
On why he did not renew: “I believed the moment had come to take a new step, to climb another rung. When I spoke about it with my family, the desire for a new — and hopefully bigger — opportunity was clear. I will always be grateful to Bologna for the chance they gave me. When I arrived I was immediately clear: this was a great step, but I did not want it to be my last. I came there to grow and improve, and then to try to make the leap. They understood.”
“When They Spoke to Me of Juventus, I Knew I Had to Come at Any Cost”
On the moment Juventus’s interest became real: “When the contacts started I was genuinely happy. When someone speaks to you about a club like Juventus, I believe it is impossible not to feel emotion and not to imagine what could happen. I always thought it. I always had it in my mind. And when the option became increasingly concrete, I knew I had to come here at any cost. I wanted to be in Turin. I wanted to live the experience of being a Juventus player.”
“The Incident with Conceição? We Spoke Immediately Afterwards”
The confrontation with Francisco Conceição during a Bologna-Juventus match last season — captured on video and discussed at length in the summer transfer coverage — received its fullest and most definitive explanation. “No — those are things that stay on the pitch and close there. In no moment did I do it with the intention of arguing.”
They spoke immediately after the final whistle. “I said to him: ‘Brother, absolutely nothing happened. Excuse me if I showed you disrespect in any moment — it was not done with bad intentions.'” Conceição’s response reflected the class Lucumí had expected. “Showing the personality and class that distinguishes him, he said: ‘Brother, nothing happened — I gave no importance to that thing, I was focused on my match.’ These are things that stay on the pitch. I offered my apologies anyway, because situations can be interpreted badly. The video did not help. But everything closed there. And today we have a great relationship.”
Then came the line that illuminates everything: “Perhaps in that moment Spalletti fell in love with my personality.” And Lucumí’s answer: “It may be. But it is simply part of who I am, of the way I play. I like to give the maximum in every situation. I am made to give 100%. Whether it pleased people or not, it is simply something that comes from inside me.”
“Spalletti? I Will Go to War for Him”
On the relationship with the manager: “He is very demanding — he wants to win always, wants to play to perfection, wants his team to be at its very best. So yes — you go to war. But with all the tools to do so. During the week we work very hard to arrive at matches in the best possible condition. We see him as the leader and must follow all his directions to be closer to the objectives we want to reach.”
On his debut as a starter against Parma: “When you are at Juventus you must always be ready. We are talking about the biggest club in Italy. It was clearly a special moment — my first match — but I was concentrated, in fact I could not wait. Even if I had not started, I was hoping for some minutes. Regardless, the team always comes before everything.”
“Cuadrado Told Me I Had to Come Here — That Being a Juventus Player Is Something Extremely Important”
The Colombian connection provided one of the interview’s warmest passages. “Cuadrado is a great friend. He has left a very important mark here and the titles won demonstrate it. He spoke to me only of positive things and told me I had to come. That I had to live this experience. Because being a Juventus player is something extremely important.”
On what the supporters of Bologna called him — “il muro,” the wall — and what Turin might call him: “Perhaps it will continue to be ‘il muro’ — I like it very much. It was born at Bologna and I am happy to have left something of myself in that city and with those supporters. Even my wife and son created important bonds there. We will always be grateful.”
“I Will Win the Scudetto — But First, Milan”
What would he be willing to do to win the Scudetto? “I cannot tell you — first I want to win it. Right now I am only thinking about the match with Milan. By winning it, we will be closer to the objective. And when we reach it, I will tell you what I will do.”
And what does he most want his son to remember? “I want him to remember my personality. How much I gave, day after day. The times I got up to reach my objectives. I would like him to know how important it is to build your future step by step. Nobody will ever give him anything for free.”
