Moise Kean: The talent behind the Racist Chants

After being a target of racist abuse by Caligari fans on Tuesday night, the name Moise Kean is now known across Football. A name which should have been identified by the talent he possesses rather than the racist abuse he has received. 

The 19-year-old is being hailed by Italians as a revelation. A man who is going to lead the line for Azzurri and Juventus for years to come but in the rest of Europe, he is currently known as the player who defied racism by scoring an 85th-minute goal and celebrating in front of his abusers. 

Despite the abuse, a question has to be asked. How was a 19-year old striker whom no one had heard of leading the line for one of Europe’s biggest clubs which boasts the likes of Paulo Dybala, Ronaldo, and Manzukukic? 

The path that Moise Kean walks on was laid for him in 2016. He became the first player born in the 21^st century to debut for one of Europe’s top five leagues in November 2016. 

He was then loaned out to Verona as a 17-year old the following season where he notched four goals in twenty appearances albeit a quarter of them being from the bench. However, this season now back at Juventus the striker has scored just as many goals in only two starts and four substitute appearances.  

Born in the Milan suburb Vercelli, Kean’s skin color derives from his Ivorian heritage. Despite being eligible to play for the Ivory Coast he has represented Italy from the age of fourteen and has scored at every level, even senior-level where he scored his debut goal a fortnight ago against Finland. 

If the goals were not enough, then his style of play has definitely injected excitement into Italian football. Standing at 6ft, the striker has all the credentials needed to terrify even the most robust Italian defenses. 

He possesses the pace to beat defenders, and the strength to hold them off when his back is to goal. More importantly, he has a killer instinct. A highlight reel of his goals shows that many of them are tap ins, headers or hit into the bottom corner.

Kean is a player who should be compared to the likes of Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, and Callum Hudson Odoi. However, the players mentioned come from a generation who have been churned out by the same factory-like system – Kean is not cut from the cloth. 

Italian football has been yearning for new stars, but their academy systems are not yet up to the standard of their European competitors. 

Kean’s rise in Italian football is one of a miracle. Italy has been in turmoil since their 2010 World Cup triumph as the new generation of players continues to live in the shadow of their predecessors. 

Is Moise Kean about to change that? Who knows. But it is clear that he has the talent to become the face of Italian football in the years to come. 

It is a shame that racism has propelled his stardom, as by the end of the season his talent would have done it for him. It is only a matter of time before he will be another noughties born prodigy known by millions for the goals he scores rather than being that ‘Italian player’ who was subject to racist abuse on a sullen Tuesday night in Caligari.