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Germany surprisingly lost a friendly international match to Turkey last weekend: 2-3 was the final score in the Olympic stadium in Berlin. One of the killers for ‘Die Mannschaft’? 18-year-old Kenan Yildiz, although he could just as easily have played for Germany.
Yildiz was born in Regensburg, Germany and is the son of a German mother and a Turkish father. In 2012 he ended up with the youth team of Bayern Munich, where he was always a regular. However, a future with the A-team of Der Rekordmeister was not possible. Ten years later, the contract between Yildiz and Bayern was terminated due to conflicting contract demands between both parties. Former technical director Hasan Salihamidzic acknowledged to BILD: “He is a young, talented player who we would have liked to keep in our ranks. But we could not accept his financial demands.”
Yildiz then left German territory and tried his luck at Juventus. “It was strange to have to leave Bayern after such a long period, which did everything it could to keep me. But in the end I can say that choosing Juventus’ sporting plan has proven to be the right and best option for me.”
At the Old Lady, Yildiz rose from the U19 side to play for several minutes in Serie A this season. In five games, coach Massimiliano Allegri gave him a taste of the big stage.
And now also under Vincenzo Montella, the national coach of Turkey. After an earlier short substitute against Croatia in the European Championship qualifying, Yildiz made his starting debut on Saturday. And he did not betray Montella’s trust. He provided the 1-2 lead. Ultimately, the match in Berlin would end in a 2-3 in favor of the Turks. Very sad for the Germans, knowing that Yildiz could have played just as well for them. “I have never been approached by the German Football Association. Not even after I took the first step,” the 18-year-old attacker told BILD.
His goal:
