The world should pay attention to Moise Kean
- By Kaustubh Pandey (@Kaus_Pandey17)
That’s what makes it an even more admirable act. His gesture was perhaps an acceptance of who he is. An acceptance of his identity- that he is proud to be who he is, no matter what anyone says. He loves to embrace his identity and he will continue to do so.
It makes one feel proud of someone like him. The image of the 19-year-old standing proud in front of the racist Cagliari fans, arms stretched out in their faces, will go onto be iconic in his career. No matter what anything or anyone throws at him, he will stand tall in the presence of injustice and obstacles.
But that’s not the only reason why he deserves credit and the attention. It distracts many from the fact that he’s the future of the country and of maybe even the club. He isn’t just a strong human being who loves his identity and is proud of it, he’s a gem of a footballer too.
The goal against Rolando Maran’s side was Kean’s fourth in just as many games for the Old Lady- sixth in just as many outings for club and country combined. He scored a goal each in his second and third senior national side appearance for the Azzurri, starring in the 2-0 win over Finland.
His rise to the fore has come at a time when the club needed someone to step up. With Paulo Dybala struggling to adapt to a slightly different approach this season and Cristiano Ronaldo rested before being injured, it has come at the perfect time. He had also found the back of the net in his first start in all competitions this season- scoring in the 2-0 win over Bologna in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.
When his first start in the league came against Udinese, Kean made full use of that. And made it a point to make himself proud- grabbing an impressive brace and an assist to top off a 4-1 win. Since then, it has become a bit of a habit.
And that too does no good to making everyone remember how young he is. The fact that he made his Juventus debut at the tender of 16, being the youngest bianconeri player ever in the modern era. Back in 2016, he had also become the first player of this millenium to play in the UEFA Champions League. Not every player lives upto the hype that follows once something like that happens, but Kean has taken everything in his stride, including racism.
Last season gave many the impression that he would soon be sold by the club to a smaller side in Hellas Verona. During his loan spell at the club from the north of Italy, Kean made 19 Serie A appearances and could only score four times. It seemed like a disappointing tally for someone who was expected to do much more, but it is something any 18-year-old would be happy to do in his teens.
Stats take away the credit he should otherwise get for his time there. Kean scored four times in 12 starts for Verona, who were a pretty bad side where chances for a striker are always hard to come by. His abilities and strengths were on show at Verona, as he completed 1.5 dribbles per game and took 1.8 shots per game. Those qualities reflected his fearlessness and the drive to take the responsibility at a struggling team.
It was a step up from playing predominantly in the Primavera division for the Juve reserves side. A step that was probably needed to test how good he could be on his level. And if he played at a better team than Verona, he could have done much better than he did. He could have thrived more with a better set of teammates around him.
And now that he’s in the limelight after having broken through for club and country, it shouldn’t come only when he takes a stand against racism. That is definitely a sign of his mental toughness and resilience. It is also a sign of what is to come from him. But what he has been doing on the pitch takes the backseat, because of that.
He deserves massive credit for everything he’s doing lately. The image from yesterday’s game will surely live long in everyone’s memory and it really should too. But it will be all the more special if Kean goes onto be a great. All signs point to the fact that he’s got all the makings to be one.
To do that, he needs the support of the players, fans and the the club’s staff. That includes Leonardo Bonucci.