There’s no rest for the wicked professional football player. While this is usually the time of rest and no competitive action, Juventus (and 31 other teams from all over the world) participated in the Club World Cup in Dante’s Inferno the United States this summer.
At the same time, the transfer window is also open and teams across Europe are preparing their rosters for another season of club and continental football. And let’s not forget there’s the small matter of a World Cup happening in Mexico, Canada, and the United States just 12 months from now, too. Summers used to be the time of relaxation and rest for them, but those days are long gone for the modern professional footballer.
Club World Cup
Juventus started the Club World Cup with a thumping 5-0 victory over Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates. Randal Kolo Muani scored a brilliant (and very difficult) header in the 11th minute after a great cross from Alberto Costa. Francisco Conceição then doubled the team’s lead with a deflected shot after good work again from Costa.
Kenan Yildiz scored a tremendous goal that required incredible strength and technique to execute. While he was falling down because an Al Ain midfielder was pulling his shirt, he fired a 25-yard shot with his right foot that kissed the inside of the post on its way into goal. Kolo Muani scored his second and the team’s fourth goal of the game after collecting a nice through ball from Khéphren Thuram and finishing with the outside of his boot.
Unsurprisingly, there was little action after the break as Juventus were happy to sit on their 4-goal lead and Al Ain had largely given up on the game. Conceição scored the game’s final goal just before the hour mark after collecting a pass from Kalulu inside the box.
Al Ain FC v Juventus FC: Group G - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images
Juventus blasted an additional four goals past Wydad Casablanca, our next opponent in the group stage of the Club World Cup. Yildiz was the absolute superstar of this game by scoring two and forcing an own goal. For the opener, he was involved in a fantastic passing move with Cambiaso and Thuram before receiving the ball in the penalty area. He hit a cross-shot that the defender deflected past his goalkeeper and into goal. But there was no question about who to credit for the second goal. Yildiz hit a ferocious shot on the half volley from the edge of the box that crashed into the top corner: 2-0.
Unlike our previous opponents, Wydad fought back and scored a goal before the break. Nordin Amrabat played a great through ball to his South African team mate Thembinkosi Lorch who executed a lovely chip over the onrushing Michele Di Gregorio: 2-1. Yildiz then showed his incredible range of ability when he scored the 3-1. He received a pass in the box from Kolo Muani, performed a lovely dummy to take the onrushing defender out of the game, faked a shot to bamboozle the goalkeeper and create an easier shot for himself, and coolly passed the ball into the goal. Vlahovic put the cherry on top of the cake when he won and scored a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time: 4-1.
Juventus FC v Wydad AC: Group G - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
The next game, in which the winner would secure a first-placed finish in Group G, was a painful reality check: a 5-2 loss to Manchester City. In the ninth minute, Jeremy Doku evaded Costa’s marking, took a touch to get past Kalulu, and passed the ball into goal. Teun Koopmeiners equalized just two minutes later after goalkeeper Ederson hit a pass straight to the Dutchman, who finished with a low driven shot.
That was the only time that Juventus were competitive during the game as City completely took over from that point onwards. Goals from Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, a stunner from Savinho, and a completely unnecessary own goal from Kalulu gave Pep Guardiola’s team a fully deserved 5-1 lead. Substitute Yildiz played an inch-perfect pass in the 83rd minute to Vlahovic, who scored with a tidy shot for his second goal in as many games. Final score: 5-2. With the loss, Juventus finished in second place in Group G and were forced to face Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
The Bianconeri performed admirably against Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, but unfortunately lost 1-0. The first half was very competitive as both sides seemingly canceled each other out, although Kolo Muani’s missed chance in the seventh minute was the game-defining moment. In a 1-on-1 with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, he tried to chip the Belgian but the ball landed on the roof of the net. Yildiz later had another promising shot that was deflected over the goal. Clearly, Juventus were much improved in this game compared to the thumping loss to City.
However, Real Madrid took firm control of the match after the break with the game’s first and only goal. A corner was recycled back into the box twice and Trent Alexander-Arnold crossed the ball to the in-form young striker Gonzalo García, who took advantage of the Juventus defense still trying to reset. His free header flew just past Di Gregorio. That goal really broke Juventus spirits as they never regained the same momentum from the first half to threaten Real Madrid. The Spaniards comfortably passed the Bianconeri into exhaustion and secured a 1-0 victory after a challenging first half but relatively simple second half, which could have been much more one-sided on the scoreboard if not for Di Gregorio making a career-high 10 saves, many of which were high-quality stops.
Juventus Women
Thankfully for them, the season was truly over for Juventus Women and they did not have to travel to the United States to play in sizzling-hot temperatures. A few players traveled to play for their national teams; you can read a summary of that action here. There was a little bit of transfer activity though, so here’s a brief summary of notable departures, arrivals, and contract extensions at Juventus Women:
Juventus v Lazio - Women Serie A Photo by Chris Ricco - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images
Transfer News
Jumping back to the Men’s team, June was a slow month for transfers due to the ongoing Club World Cup. Nevertheless, there were a few interesting transfers that happened: