If there was one player in a Juventus jersey who deserved a goal in Saturday night's season opener, it was Kingsley Coman, the new apple of everybody's eye. His debut went better than anybody could have imagined it would go, with many a Italian media outlets giving the 18-year-old Frenchman the Man of the Match nod.
And let me just repeat two very important things for the record: Coman is 18 years old. This was his first game in Serie A, a league that has a history of not being very kind to youngsters.
Now that Coman has officially burst onto the scene in Italy, the microscope on him will just become that much bigger. Coman's skill, speed, and overall awesomeness was on full display as he got a somewhat surprising start against those pesky Flying Donkeys in Juve's season opener.
If this was his first true test, consider it passed — by a country mile.
Coman: "I'm happy with how my debut went and I'm really enjoying life here at Juventus." #ChievoJuve
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 30, 2014
Coman: "I can improve every day by training alongside world class players and working with Allegri." #ChievoJuve
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 30, 2014
There's also this, though: Kingsley Coman isn't the new Paul Pogba. There is only one Paul Pogba, just like there is only one Kingsley Coman. They're both French, they both have mohawks, they both joined Juventus on free transfers and made their debuts with the club as teenagers. But they are two different kinds of players with different kinds of skill sets playing different positions in what is a very good Juventus side.
That's just how it works.
The best thing out of it all is that both of these wonderfully talented France natives are wearing Juventus jerseys. So go ahead and stick your tongue out when your friends ask you about them.
