Why the 2026 World Cup can define Kenan Yildiz’s career | OneFootball

Since first breaking into the first-team, Juventus star Kenan Yildiz has sparkled in the Serie A. From the get-go, it was clear that he has that special something and it has never quite gone away.

While the attacker did play at the European Championships in 2024, his career was at a different stage. He had just broken into the Bianconeri squad but still managed to make a mark in the tournament.

That was arguably a start. He has now become a central point for club and country and expectations from him have only grown.

In the 2025/26 campaign, he racked up 17 goal contributions in Serie A. He found the net ten times and despite points of inconsistency, he is someone who Juve looked up to whenever they needed a spark around goal. More often than not, he delivered.

The World Cup, therefore, comes a different point of his career. A certain amount of expectation comes with the tournament, especially as Yildiz now already has 28 appearances for Turkey, having found the net five times. He was key during qualifying, scoring three times during the phase.

Classic international tournament player

Beyond the expectations on the youngsters shoulders, there is something about him which screams ‘international tournament player’.

He has that spark in him which can catch teams off-guard during huge occassions. International football is full of systems that rely on game-breaking moments, one hip feint, one dummy that beats a defender and that shot which creeps into the top corner.

Yildiz has that. He has shown it in big games for Juve last season, displaying that he has the feel for the big moment. Turkey would want that and Yildiz is someone who can provide that, with his almost maverick-like skillset in attack.

Timing likely crucial

While expectations are now high in his home country, it comes at a point when it can define his career. He is known as one of the best talents in the game right now and coming up with crucial game-winning moments will hand him that impetus to take the next step in his career.

Beyond the confidence that this would give him, it would be a watershed moment in his career too. When he grows older, it would be something many would look back on and realise that the World Cup was truly a game-changer for his career.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN