Thiago Motta’s Legacy? A Generation Given a Chance.

This is part of Cultured Football Shorts, quick reads that deliver sharp insights or memorable moments from the beautiful game which won’t take you more than two minutes to read.

Football moves fast and, despite it having been a couple of weeks, Thiago Motta’s time at Juventus already seems to be in the distant past.

It could hardly be anything difficult, given how little he managed to achieve. His time in Turin ended abruptly and unceremoniously, leaving behind more questions than answers. Yet, amid the chaos, one silver lining has emerged: the club’s renewed focus on youth.

Under Motta, whether out of vision or necessity, Juventus handed significant playing time to its youngest talents. According to Transfermarkt data, Juve ranks 13th across Europe’s top five leagues for minutes given to players under 21 and is the only Italian club in the top 20.

Names like Kenan Yildiz, Mbangula, and Savona are no longer just prospects they’ve become integral members of the matchday squad.

Yildiz, in particular, leads the team in appearances this season, though not without controversy, as Motta’s change of heart and reluctance to use him towards the end of his tenure became a stick with which to beat him. Justifiably so, given Yildiz’s performances since.

Even so, Juve's younger cohort racked up more than seven thousand minutes on the pitch, a testament to their growing importance.

It could even be that time is kind and Motta’s legacy at Juventus won’t be all bad since, although the club will need to rebuild, it won’t be starting from scratch. It has a core of young players who have been blooded in Serie A, know the pressures of the club, and have shown flashes of genuine potential.

That much should surely be credited to Motta.

Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading. And you get a free copy of the book Master of the Azzurri.