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De Winter is coming: “Top talent, but willpower determines whether he will succeed” | Champions League

Now that the defense of the Devils is gradually on its last legs, we are eagerly looking forward to the succession of Vertonghen, Vermaelen and co. Last night a new candidate presented himself with 19-year-old Koni De Winter. Jacky Mathijssen, his coach at the Belgian reserves, and Joric Vandendriessche, his former youth coordinator at Zulte Waregem, know De Winter inside out.

1. How was his debut?

Antwerp resident Koni De Winter only became the second Belgian (after Daouda Peeters) last night to wear the Juventus shirt in an official match.

“I thought he did well, with presence,” says Joric Vandendriessche, who worked with De Winter in the youth of Zulte Waregem, at Sporza.

“He was able to play football quickly and precisely from under the pressure of Chelsea, was playable and did not lose the ball. He was also strong defensively and won his aerial duels. It is not obvious as a 19-year-old at that level, deep in the game, that immediately to pick up the competition rhythm.”

You don’t just end up on the Juventus bench. You have to enforce that.

Jacky Mathijssen (national coach U23)

“Of course we cannot draw any big conclusions from those 10 minutes,” says Jacky Mathijssen, the national coach of the Belgian promises. “He had to fill in at right back, not really his position. I see him grow into a central defender rather. It will mainly be a gesture from the coach for the work he has done in recent weeks.”

“But you don’t just end up on the Juventus bench. He enforced that himself. I think those 10 minutes are less important than all the work that preceded it, in the training sessions and in the matches of the youth of Juventus, who plays in Serie C.”

“I’m especially happy for Koni himself,” says Vandendriessche. “He is almost 20 years old and then it is important that you enforce your chances, also at a club like Juventus. It is great that he gets them, even in such matches. It shows that they believe in him at Juventus.”

2. The “new Kompany”?

When Mathijssen and Vandendriessche describe the qualities of Koni De Winter, words such as guts, phlegmatic, presence, elegance, agility, someone who stands out… The comparison with Vincent Kompany, who at a young age was not the wardrobe he would later become. was made in England, was then quickly made.

Vandendriessche: “In Italy he has become an even more complete footballer. He used to be more lax in the defensive final third, now he takes the lead there too. The Italian football school, where defending is a profession in its own right, has clearly benefited him.”

“I understand the comparison with Kompany, because he is also a tall and elegant defender. But it is very dangerous to compare someone with such exceptional top players.

“So leave out those big comparisons and superlatives for a while”, Vandendriessche and Mathijssen say almost in unison. “Peace has to be created around him, that’s one of the main challenges right now.”

I understand the comparison with Kompany, but it is very dangerous to compare someone with such an exceptional topper.

Joric Vandendriessche (Sports Coordinator Essevee)

“There is still so much to be done,” says Mathijssen. “I don’t want to raise expectations so high for guys who are just at the start of their career. Such a comparison is too often an extra burden.”

“But he is without a doubt a boy with a lot of qualities, who is currently doing very well to develop them. And I am happy and proud that we can help him with that development.”

“If one of your guests can play for 10 minutes with a team like Juventus, then you are very happy about that. Also happy because you put yourself in him. You look back on the conversations you have had with him. a few percent, but it may have contributed to something.”

3. Is he in his place at Juventus?

Koni De Winter chose to leave Zulte Waregem for Juventus at the age of 16. Many Belgian talents preceded him at a European top club, but in the end they were never able to break through. Why should it be any different now?

“When he informed me in a personal conversation with his father at the time that he did not accept our proposal to stay with Essevee, we were very disappointed,” says Vandendriessche. “After all, he was an important player in our renewed youth vision.”

“But the disappointment quickly ebbed when, at the end of that conversation, she confidentially that he chose Juventus because this has been his dream club since childhood. You saw the happiness in his eyes, that was nice to see.”

“He made the most difficult choice by chasing his dream far away from his family, in a language he did not know. Many young promising ‘talents’ did it before him and became lonely or unhappy far from home. He survived. .”

“Right or wrong, a career decides about that. If you see his development now, it should be clear that this was the right choice for him.”

Where better to sit than at Juventus, where you can steal your eyes from Chiellini and Bonucci every day?

Jacky Mathijssen

Jacky Mathijssen also sees no problem. “Where better to sit? At 19, he can play “grown-up football” every week in Serie C. Youth players don’t have that here in Belgium, although we want to go there.”

“In addition, he can steal every training with his eyes from guys like Bonucci and Chiellini. Who has that privilege? Who will experience being able to sit in a dressing room in the Champions League with those kinds of toppers? Even if you lose 0-4, That too is something you learn from.”

“He doesn’t have to play those guys out of the team yet. As long as he can play a match every weekend. I would have had more trouble if he couldn’t make minutes, as is the case with some other players in the U23. As a result, his growth margin is also greater.”

4. Will we see him soon with the Red Devils?

It has been clear for some time that the Red Devils need fresh blood, especially in the back, because for Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Vermaelen, the World Cup in Qatar may be their last major tournament. In the past year, boys like Faes, Bornauw, Delcroix, Theate and Vanheusden were tested, but may we soon add the name of Koni De Winter to that list?

“They can’t come and take everyone away from me now either,” jokes promise coach Jacky Mathijssen. When it comes to De Winter’s promotion opportunities, he likes to refer to a recent column by René Vandereycken. “He wrote that he is almost certain of the current generation of promises that 2 players will advance to the A-team: Amadou Onana van Lille and Koni De Winter.”

“René is someone who has a lot of international experience, much more than me. Who am I to contradict him? De Winter is in any case involved in the project with the boys who are being watched extra for the A- team.”

René Vandereycken said: I definitely see 2 players breaking through in the A-team: Onana van Rijsel and Koni De Winter.

Jacky Mathijssen

Joric Vandendriessche is pleased that with Pletinckx, Mvom, Zaroury and also De Winter 4 (ex-) players of Zulte Waregem belong to the core of the promises. “It would have been a nice quartet to see at work in the Elindus Arena, but we also enjoy their current successes. In any case, they are a source of inspiration for the upcoming generations.”

“De Winter is also one of the youngest to keep up with our promises, so that suggests the best for the future. But his willpower and work ethic will determine whether he can one day become a permanent Red Devil.”

“Everything is intrinsically present that that day will one day come, but it remains a difficult road to break through as a young Belgian on the highest podium.”

Yesterday, De Winter was one of the few Juventus players to greet the fans after the match

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