Samuel Iling-Junior

Samuel Iling-Junior (born 4 October 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa.

Samuel Iling-Junior

Iling-Junior with Juventus U19 in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Iling-Junior[1]
Date of birth	(2003-10-04) 4 October 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Islington, England
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s)	Winger, wing-back
Team information
Current team	Middlesbrough (on loan from Aston Villa)
Number	29
Youth career
2011–2020	Chelsea
2020–2021	Juventus
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2023	Juventus Next Gen[α]	9	(3)
2022–2024	Juventus	36	(2)
2024–	Aston Villa	0	(0)
2024–2025	→ Bologna (loan)	7	(1)
2025–	→ Middlesbrough (loan)	1	(0)
International career‡
2018	England U15	1	(0)
2018–2019	England U16	8	(0)
2019	England U17	5	(0)
2021–2022	England U19	7	(1)
2022–2023	England U20	6	(2)
2023–	England U21	11	(2)
Medal record Men's football Representing  England UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner Slovakia 2022
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:04, 25 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:37, 7 December 2024 (UTC)

A youth product of Chelsea and Juventus, Iling-Junior made his debut for reserve team Juventus U23 in the 2021–22 season, while also reaching the UEFA Youth League semi-finals with the U19 squad. In the following campaign, Iling-Junior started with Juventus Next Gen,^[α] scoring four goals in seven matches, and then was promoted to the first team in December 2022, after making his debut both in Serie A and Champions League.

Iling-Junior has represented England at various youth international levels, having won a UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2022.

Club career

Early career

Born in Islington,^[4] London, Iling-Junior joined Chelsea academy in 2011 at the age of eight,^[5][6] and spent nine years with the club.^[7] He attended secondary school at St Aloysius' College, Highgate.^[8] He was promoted to the under-19s aged 16.^[9] In 2020, he decided to leave Chelsea, rejecting an athletic scholarship deal,^[10] attracting interest from clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus; he signed a three-year contract with the latter in September of that year.^[7][9]

Juventus

2020–2022

On 7 October 2020, Iling-Junior was included in The Guardian's list of the 60 best young talents in the world born in 2003.^[11] On 2 April 2021, he was first called up by Juventus U23 alongside his U19 teammate Gabriele Mulazzi for a Serie C match against Alessandria.^[12] He finished the 2020–21 season with four goals and seven assists in 28 matches for the under-19 team.^[9]

On 22 August, he made his debut for Juventus U23 in a 3–2 win against Pro Sesto in the Coppa Italia Serie C.^[13] His Serie C debut came on 3 October, replacing Nikola Sekulov in the second half against Mantova.^[14] Iling-Junior was first called up to the first team on 21 May 2022, for a match against Fiorentina.^[15]

In the 2021–22 season, he improved his stats, having played 36 matches and scored 13 goals.^[9] Iling-Junior also helped the U19s reach the UEFA Youth League semifinals, their best-ever placing in the competition.^[16]

2022–2024

Iling-Junior scored his first professional goal on 3 September 2022, in the 13th minute in Trento–Juventus Next Gen,^[α] their first season match.^[17] He made his Serie A debut for the first team in a match against Empoli, on 21 October, coming on as a substitute for Filip Kostić in the 84th minute.^[9]

On 25 October, Iling-Junior made his Champions League debut against Benfica, replacing Kostić in the 70th minute with Juventus trailing 4–1.^[18] He assisted Arkadiusz Milik's 4–2 goal after six minutes, and provided a key pass for Weston McKennie's goal two minutes later.^[18] Four days later, in an away match against Lecce, Iling-Junior assisted Nicolò Fagioli's winner after only 41 seconds from entering the pitch;^[19] however, he suffered a right-ankle sprain after being fouled by Federico Di Francesco, ruling him out for 20 days.^[20]

On 19 December, Juventus announced that Iling-Junior renewed his contract until 2025, being subsequently promoted to the first team.^[21] He was promoted after scoring four goals in nine matches for Next Gen (two of which were during the previous season).^[13] He made his first-minute debut with the first team on the 19th of the following month, in Juventus–Monza, in the Coppa Italia.^[22]

On 2 March 2023, Iling-Junior started the first leg of the final of the Coppa Italia Serie C with Juventus Next Gen and scored a 47th-minute equaliser against Vicenza, against whom they lost 2–1.^[23][24] On 11 April, he also played the second leg, in which he kicked a penalty he had won over the post at the 90th minute; they lost 3–2 (5–3 on aggregate).^[25][26] On 7 May, he made his first start in Serie A and scored his first goal with Juventus' first team, netting the opener in a 2–0 away win over Atalanta.^[27][28]

On 7 January 2024, Iling-Junior scored his first and only goal of the 2023–24 season in a 2–1 away league win over Salernitana.^[29]

Aston Villa

On 1 July 2024, Iling-Junior signed for Premier League club Aston Villa on a permanent deal, as part of a double-transfer from Juventus, alongside Enzo Barrenechea.^[30][31][32] The deal commanded a €14 million fee, plus €3 million in add-ons,^[30][32] and was related to the transfer of Douglas Luiz to Juventus, despite being a separate transaction.^[30][33]

Loans

On 27 August 2024, Iling-Junior joined Serie A club Bologna on a season-long loan.^[34][35] On 21 January 2025, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, marking his club's maiden victory in the competition.^[36]

On 3 February 2025, Aston Villa recalled Illing-Junior from his Bologna loan and sent him out on loan to EFL Championship club Middlesbrough until the end of the season.^[37][38]

International career

Born in England, Iling-Junior is of DR Congolese descent.^[39] He was a member of the England U17s' 2019 Syrenka Cup-winning squad.^[40]

On 6 October 2021, he made his debut for the England U19s as a substitute during a 3–1 defeat to France in Marbella, Spain.^[41] On 17 June 2022, Iling-Junior was included in the England U19 squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship,^[42] which England won with a 3–1 extra-time victory over Israel on 1 July.^[43][44][45]

On 21 September 2022, he made his England U20 debut in a 3–0 win over Chile at the Pinatar Arena in Spain.^[46] On 24 March 2023, he scored a brace in England U20's 2–0 win over Germany U20.^[47]

On 11 September 2023, Iling-Junior made his England U21 debut in a 3–0 win away to Luxembourg in a 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match.^[48]

Style of play

Iling-Junior mainly plays a winger, either on the left or right. His versatility allowed him to be deployed various areas of the pitch by Juventus U19 coach Andrea Bonatti, namely as a left-back, left or right forward, attacking midfielder or central midfielder.^[9] His main qualities are his goalscoring, dribbling and running abilities.^[9][49]

Personal life

Iling-Junior moved to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he found challenging.^[6] He has since become nearly fluent in Italian.^[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 January 2025^[50]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Juventus U23[α]	2021–22	Serie C	1	0	—		—		—		1[b][13]	0	2	0
Juventus Next Gen[α]	2022–23	Serie C	8	3	—		—		—		3[b][13]	2	11	5
	Total		9	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2	13	5
Juventus	2022–23	Serie A	12	1	1	0	—		5[c]	0	—		18	1
	2023–24	Serie A	24	1	3	0	—		—		—		27	1
	Total		36	2	4	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	45	2
Aston Villa	2024–25	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Bologna (loan)	2024–25	Serie A	7	1	1	0	—		8[d]	1	—		16	2
Middlesbrough (loan)	2024–25	Championship	0	0	—		—		—		—		0	0
Career total			52	6	5	0	0	0	13	1	4	2	74	9

1. Includes Coppa Italia
2. Appearance(s) in Coppa Italia Serie C
3. One appearance in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Juventus Next Gen

• Coppa Italia Serie C runner-up: 2022–23^[51]

Juventus

• Coppa Italia: 2023–24^[52]

England U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2022^[53]

Notes

1. The team's name was changed from Juventus U23 to Juventus Next Gen in August 2022.^[3]

References

1. "Samuel Iling-Junior". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
2. "Samuel Iling-Junior: Overview". Premier League. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
3. "From Under 23 to Next Gen – a new identity at Juventus". Juventus FC. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
4. Kinsella, Nizaar (12 December 2022). "The next John Terry? Five starlets who could shine for England in 2026". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
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6. Kinsella, Nizaar (1 November 2022). "Chelsea tinged with regret as Samuel Iling-Junior rises to Juventus challenge". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
7. Albanese, Giovanni. "Chi è Iling-Junior, l'esterno che la Juve ha pescato giovanissimo dal Chelsea" [Who is Iling-Junior, the winger that Juve brought in from Chelsea at a very young age]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
8. Association, The Football. "Sam Iling-Junior's journey from grassroots football to Juventus and EURO glory with England". England Football. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
9. Agresti, Romeo (26 October 2022). "Samuel Iling-Junior: l'ex Chelsea che ha esordito in Serie A con la Juventus". Goal.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
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11. Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry. "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
12. Baridon, Marco (3 April 2021). "Juve Primavera, Zauli pesca per la sua Under 23: in due alla prima chiamata". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
13. For Coppa Italia Serie C stats not covered by Soccerway, see "Profile Player Samuel Iling-Junior". myjuve.it. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
14. JuventusNews24, Redazione (3 October 2021). "Esordio Iling-Junior con la Juventus U23: prima presenza in Serie C". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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24. JuventusNews24, Redazione (2 March 2023). "Soulé e Iling-Junior guidano la Juventus Next Gen: titolari nella finale col Vicenza". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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26. JuventusNews24, Redazione (11 April 2023). "Iling-Junior si procura e sbaglia il rigore: il Vicenza conduce 3-2 – VIDEO". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
27. "Juve power to win at Atalanta". Juventus FC. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
28. Gamba, Emanuele (7 May 2023). "Atalanta-Juventus 0-2: gol di Iling-Junior e Vlahovic, bianconeri secondi". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
29. Guidi, Marco (8 January 2024). "Juve ecco il Vlahovic che serve: gol decisivo al 91', Salernitana rimontata e Inter sempre a +2". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
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33. Tanswell, Jacob (1 July 2024). "Iling-Junior and Barrenechea offer Villa more than just help with PSR". The Athletic. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
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35. "Samuel Iling-Junior al Bologna" (in Italian). Bologna FC 1909. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
36. "Bologna 2–1 Borussia Dortmund". BBC Sport. 21 January 2025.
37. "Samuel Iling-Junior Joins On Loan". Middlesbrough FC. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
38. "Samuel Iling-Jr recalled from Bologna and loaned to Middlesbrough". Aston Villa Football Club. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
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46. Crane, Liam (21 September 2022). "Report: England MU20s 3–0 Chile". EnglandFootball.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
47. "Juventus, Iling-Junior illumina l'Inghilterra U20: doppietta alla Germania". tuttosport.com (in Italian). 23 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
48. Dickson Jefford, Oli (11 September 2023). "Report: Luxembourg 0-3 England MU21s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
49. "ILING JUNIOR, L'ESORDIENTE CHE HA AFFASCINATO ALLEGRI". Alfredo Pedullà (in Italian). 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
50. Samuel Iling-Junior at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
51. Baridon, Marco (11 April 2023). "Vicenza Juventus Next Gen 3-2: bianconeri sconfitti in finale, vincono i veneti!". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
52. "LA JUVENTUS VINCE LA COPPA ITALIA FRECCIAROSSA" [JUVENTUS WINS THE FRECCIAROSSA ITALIAN CUP] (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
53. JuventusNews24, Redazione (2 July 2022). "Iling campione d'Europa! Il bianconero trionfa con la sua Inghilterra". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

• Samuel Iling-Junior at Aston Villa F.C.
• Samuel Iling-Junior at Premier League
• Samuel Iling-Junior – UEFA competition record (archive)