English footballer (born 2003)
Samuel Iling-Junior (born 4 October 2003) is an English professional
footballer who plays as a
winger or
wing-back for
Serie A club
Juventus .
A youth product of
Chelsea and
Juventus , Iling-Junior made his debut for
reserve team
Juventus U23 in the
2021–22 season , while also reaching the
UEFA Youth League semi-finals with the U19 squad. In
the following campaign , Iling-Junior started with Juventus Next Gen,
[α] scoring four goals in seven matches, and then was promoted to the first team in December 2022, after making his debut both in Serie A and
Champions League .
Iling-Junior has represented England at various youth international levels, having won a
UEFA European Under-19 Championship in
2022 .
Club career
Early career
Born in
Islington ,
[5] London, Iling-Junior joined
Chelsea academy in 2011 at the age of eight,
[6]
[7] and spent nine years with the club.
[8] He was promoted to the under-19s aged 16.
[9] In 2020, he decided to leave Chelsea, rejecting an
athletic scholarship deal,
[10] attracting the interest from clubs such as
Paris Saint-Germain ,
Bayern Munich ,
Borussia Dortmund and
Juventus ; he signed a three-year contract with the latter in September of that year.
[8]
[9]
Juventus
2020–2022
On 7 October 2020, Iling-Junior was included in
The Guardian 's list of the 60 best young talents in the world born in 2003.
[11] On 2 April 2021, he was first called up by
Juventus U23 alongside his U19 teammate
Gabriele Mulazzi for a
Serie C match against
Alessandria .
[12] He finished the 2020–21 season with four goals and seven assists in 28 matches for the under-19 team.
[9]
On 22 August, he made his debut for Juventus U23 in a 3–2 win against
Pro Sesto in the
Coppa Italia Serie C .
[13] His Serie C debut came on 3 October, replacing
Nikola Sekulov in the second half against
Mantova .
[14] Iling-Junior was first called up to the
first team on 21 May 2022, for a match against
Fiorentina .
[15]
In the 2021–22 season, he improved his stats, having played 36 matches and scored 13 goals.
[9] Iling-Junior also helped the U19s reach the
UEFA Youth League semifinals, their best-ever placing in the competition.
[16]
2022–present
Iling-Junior scored his first professional goal on 3 September 2022, in the 13th minute in
Trento –Juventus Next Gen,
[α] their first season match.
[17] He made his
Serie A debut for the first team in a match against
Empoli , on 21 October, coming on as a substitute for
Filip Kostić in the 84th minute.
[9]
On 25 October, Iling-Junior made his
Champions League debut against
Benfica , replacing Kostić in the 70th minute with Juventus trailing 4–1.
[18] He assisted
Arkadiusz Milik 's 4–2 goal after six minutes, and provided a key pass for
Weston McKennie 's goal two minutes later.
[18] Four days later, in an away match against
Lecce , Iling-Junior assisted
Nicolò Fagioli 's winner after only 41 seconds from entering the pitch;
[19] however, he suffered a
right-ankle sprain after being
fouled by
Federico Di Francesco , ruling him out for 20 days.
[20]
On 19 December, Juventus announced that Iling-Junior renewed his contract until 2025, being subsequently promoted to the first team.
[21] He was promoted after scoring four goals in nine matches for Next Gen (two of which were during the previous season).
[13] He made his first-minute debut with the first team on the 19th of the following month, in Juventus–
Monza , in the
Coppa Italia .
[22]
On 2 March 2023, Iling-Junior started the first leg of the final of the
Coppa Italia Serie C with Juventus Next Gen and scored a 47th-minute equaliser against
Vicenza , against whom they lost 2–1.
[23]
[24] On 11 April, he also played the second leg, in which he kicked a penalty he had won over the post at the 90th minute; they lost 3–2 (5–3 on aggregate).
[25]
[26]
On 7 May, he made his first start in Serie A and scored his first goal with Juventus' first team, netting the opener in a 2–0 away win over
Atalanta .
[27]
[28]
International career
Born in England, Iling-Junior is of DR Congolese descent.
[29] He was a member of the
U17's 2019 Syrenka Cup winning squad.
[30]
On 6 October 2021, he made his debut for the
England U19s as a substitute during a 3–1 defeat to
France in
Marbella , Spain.
[31] On 17 June 2022, Iling-Junior was included in the England U19 squad for the
2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship ,
[32] which England won with a 3–1 extra time victory over
Israel on 1 July.
[33]
[34]
[35]
On 21 September 2022, he made his
England U20 debut in a 3–0 win over
Chile at the
Pinatar Arena in Spain.
[36] On 24 March 2023, he scored a brace in England U20's 2–0 win to
Germany U20 .
[37]
On 11 September 2023, Iling-Junior made his
England U21 debut during a 3-0
2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to
Luxembourg .
[38]
Style of play
Iling-Junior mainly plays a
winger , either on the left or right. His versatility allowed him to be deployed various areas of the pitch by Juventus U19 coach
Andrea Bonatti , namely as a
left-back , left or right
forward ,
attacking midfielder or
central midfielder .
[9] His main qualities are his goalscoring, dribbling and running abilities.
[9]
[39]
Personal life
Iling-Junior moved to Italy during the
COVID-19 pandemic , which he found challenging.
[7] He has become nearly fluent in Italian.
[7]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 15 May 2024
[40]
Honours
Juventus Next Gen
Juventus
England U19
Notes
^
a
b
c
d The team's name was changed from Juventus U23 to Juventus Next Gen in August 2022.
[4]
References
^
"Samuel Iling-Junior" . Global Sports Archive . Retrieved 22 August 2021 .
^
"Samuel Iling-Junior: Overview" . Premier League.
Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 .
^
"From Under 23 to Next Gen – a new identity at Juventus" . Juventus FC. 26 August 2022.
Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022 .
^
"From Under 23 to Next Gen – a new identity at Juventus" . Juventus FC. 26 August 2022.
Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022 .
^ Kinsella, Nizaar (12 December 2022).
"The next John Terry? Five starlets who could shine for England in 2026" . Evening Standard .
Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022 .
^ Brewin, John (27 June 2022).
"England youngsters reaping rewards of pathway at Under-19 Euros" . The Guardian .
Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023 .
^
a
b
c Kinsella, Nizaar (1 November 2022).
"Chelsea tinged with regret as Samuel Iling-Junior rises to Juventus challenge" . Evening Standard .
Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023 .
^
a
b Albanese, Giovanni.
"Chi è Iling-Junior, l'esterno che la Juve ha pescato giovanissimo dal Chelsea" [Who is Iling-Junior, the winger that Juve brought in from Chelsea at a very young age].
La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g Agresti, Romeo (26 October 2022).
"Samuel Iling-Junior: l'ex Chelsea che ha esordito in Serie A con la Juventus" .
Goal.com (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022 .
^
"U19 | Alla scoperta di Iling: «Essere alla Juve è un sogno»" .
Juventus FC (in Italian). 11 February 2022.
Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022 .
^ Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry.
"Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football" . The Guardian .
ISSN
0261-3077 . Archived from
the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022 .
^ Baridon, Marco (3 April 2021).
"Juve Primavera, Zauli pesca per la sua Under 23: in due alla prima chiamata" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022 .
^
a
b
c
d For Coppa Italia Serie C stats not covered by Soccerway, see
"Profile Player Samuel Iling-Junior" . myjuve.it .
Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022 .
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (3 October 2021).
"Esordio Iling-Junior con la Juventus U23: prima presenza in Serie C" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (21 May 2022).
"Convocati Juve per la Fiorentina, UFFICIALE: riecco McKennie. Sei assenti" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^
"Il Benfica in finale grazie ai calci di rigore. Non basta la gran rimonta della Juve" . La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022 .
^
"Juventus Next Gen, Iling Junior segna il primo gol della stagione" . La Casa di C (in Italian). 3 September 2022.
Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022 .
^
a
b
"Juventus Next Gen, esordio da sogno in Champions League per Iling Junior contro il Benfica" . La Casa di C (in Italian). 25 October 2022.
Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022 .
^
"Iling-Junior fa assist, Fagioli segna: i giovani alleviano la crisi della Juventus | Goal.com" . www.goal.com .
Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022 .
^
"Iling ko, la Juventus perde anche lui dopo il fallaccio di Di Francesco: il comunicato" . tuttosport.com (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022 .
^
"Samuel Iling-Junior renews until 2025! – Juventus" .
Juventus FC . 19 December 2022.
Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022 .
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (19 January 2023).
"Iling-Junior, prima da titolare! Esordio dal primo minuto in Juve Monza" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 7 May 2023 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Baridon, Marco (2 March 2023).
"Juventus Next Gen Vicenza 1-2: ai veneti il primo atto, Iling non basta" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023 .
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (2 March 2023).
"Soulé e Iling-Junior guidano la Juventus Next Gen: titolari nella finale col Vicenza" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Baridon, Marco (11 April 2023).
"Vicenza Juventus Next Gen 3-2: bianconeri sconfitti in finale, vincono i veneti!" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2023 .
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (11 April 2023).
"Iling-Junior si procura e sbaglia il rigore: il Vicenza conduce 3-2 – VIDEO" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2023 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^
"Juve power to win at Atalanta" .
Juventus FC . 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023 .
^ Gamba, Emanuele (7 May 2023).
"Atalanta-Juventus 0-2: gol di Iling-Junior e Vlahovic, bianconeri secondi" .
La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2023 .
^ Horncastle, James.
"Samuel Iling-Junior exclusive: from Highbury to Juventus' first team — via Chelsea" . The Athletic .
^
"YOUNG LIONS LIFT THE SYRENKA CUP WITH A PENALTY SHOOTOUT WIN OVER HOSTS POLAND" . England Football . 10 September 2019.
Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2021 .
^
"Young Lions suffer defeat in their first of three internationals in Spain" . England Football . 6 October 2021.
Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021 .
^ Smith, Frank (17 June 2022).
"Ian Foster has picked his 21-strong squad for this month's UEFA U19 EURO Finals in Slovakia" . EnglandFootball.com .
Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022 .
^ Honeyman, Sam (1 July 2022).
"Israel 1–3 England (aet): Chukwuemeka and Ramsey the extra-time heroes as Young Lions fight back" . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations.
Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022 .
^ Veevers, Nicholas (1 July 2022).
"England win U19 EURO title after 3–1 win against Israel" . EnglandFootball.com .
Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022 .
^
"Europei U19, trionfa l'Inghilterra: Israele si arrende nei supplementari" . tuttosport.com (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022 .
^ Crane, Liam (21 September 2022).
"Report: England MU20s 3–0 Chile" . EnglandFootball.com .
Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022 .
^
"Juventus, Iling-Junior illumina l'Inghilterra U20: doppietta alla Germania" . tuttosport.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 March 2023 .
^ Dickson Jefford, Oli (11 September 2023).
"Report: Luxembourg 0-3 England MU21s" . EnglandFootball.com . Retrieved 11 September 2023 .
^
"ILING JUNIOR, L'ESORDIENTE CHE HA AFFASCINATO ALLEGRI" . Alfredo Pedullà (in Italian). 22 October 2022.
Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022 .
^
Samuel Iling-Junior at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^ Baridon, Marco (11 April 2023).
"Vicenza Juventus Next Gen 3-2: bianconeri sconfitti in finale, vincono i veneti!" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 16 April 2023 .
^
"LA JUVENTUS VINCE LA COPPA ITALIA FRECCIAROSSA" [JUVENTUS WINS THE FRECCIAROSSA ITALIAN CUP] (in Italian).
Lega Serie A . 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024 .
^ JuventusNews24, Redazione (2 July 2022).
"Iling campione d'Europa! Il bianconero trionfa con la sua Inghilterra" . Juventus News 24 (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
External links