Kean: 'Nowhere better than Juventus'

By Football Italia staff

Moise Kean shut down transfer speculation by assuring “there aren’t any other teams that can help me improve in the way Juventus can.”

The 19-year-old striker sat down with SoccerBible magazine to discuss his life, career and prospects amid transfer gossip.

“When I came to Juventus, I understood that things would change. Juventus helps you to grow and become a man in all the things you want to do. You learn lots of things without noticing.

“Technically I improved, but my ambition is to improve every day more and more. I’m aware of the fact that I wear a shirt that carries responsibilities, but it's not a burden. I’m focused on my journey.

“I'm sure that at the moment there aren't any other teams that can help me improve in the way Juventus can. I was born here, and I have almost always worn the black-and-white shirt. Obviously, I don't know what the future holds, but what is sure is that I will always give my all.

“I think that the biggest ambition is well-known: winning the Champions League. But what they teach you in Juventus is to always give your all in every challenge, whatever form that takes.”

Kean has been training alongside Cristiano Ronaldo this season, but never asked for tips.

“When we train, I try to observe all the things he does, from his attitude on the pitch to his desire to play, to train and to always be ready. Training with great champions has benefits that you can't underestimate. I'm not the type to (ask for advice), but I quietly observe and then I try to apply what I learned on the pitch.

“Didier Drogba was certainly an inspiration (growing up). I liked him a lot, he was one of my idols. I looked at how he moved and how he scored repeatedly. He was awesome.

“When I was younger I liked Mario Balotelli, especially during his time at Inter. Mario, too, has been an inspiration for me.”

Kean and Balotelli share the same agent, Mino Raiola, but he wasn’t always a striker.

“I wanted to play as a midfielder, although my father wasn't happy about that. ‘You have to wear the No 9 shirt,’ he’d always say. He also threatened to not take me to practice! I can say now that he was right all along.

“It's also thanks to my family that I made it to this level. Commitment, dedication, temperament are all things I learned at home. My mum wanted me to study first, but it's not easy to combine the two things. In the end my desire to become a football player at all costs prevailed over everything else.

“My mum’s proud of my journey and I could never have made it without my family.”

Kean has already played three senior games for Italy, scoring two goals.

“I never expected the call. I was in Ferrara with the U21s, just after the match against England. Luigi Di Biagio came to me and told me that I had to join the senior national team.

“You can imagine my emotions… I debuted in Belgium against the US, coming on in the second half, and I think I did well. Wearing the blue shirt is the sum of everything I learned: you always have to be ready, train hard every day because you never know. It was a very important moment in my career.”

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