Samuel Iling-Junior

Last updated

Samuel Iling-Junior
Samuel Iling-Junior 12042025 (2).jpg
Iling-Junior with Middlesbrough in 2025.
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
 West Bromwich Albion
(on loan from Aston Villa)
Youth career
2011–2020 Chelsea
2020–2021 Juventus
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(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) 16 (1)
2025– → West Bromwich Albion (loan) 0 (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)
2023–2025 England U21 16 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2025 Slovakia
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2022 Slovakia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:57, 3 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:18, 29 June 2025 (UTC)

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

Contents

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 and UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2025.

Club career

Early career

Iling-junior (Number 11) playing for Chelsea academy in 2018. FC Basel gegen Chelsea FC (Spiel um den siebten Platz) 17.jpg
Iling-junior (Number 11) playing for Chelsea academy in 2018.

Born in Islington, [4] London, to Congolese parents, 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

Iling-Junior with Juventus U19 in 2021. UEFA Youth League Juventus-Zenit, 2021-11-02 09 (cropped).jpg
Iling-Junior with Juventus U19 in 2021.

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]

On 1 September 2025, Illing-Junior joined West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan. [39]

International career

Iling-Junior playing for England U21 in 2025 Samuel Iling-Junior England U21.jpg
Iling-Junior playing for England U21 in 2025

Born in England, Iling-Junior is of DR Congolese descent. [40] He was a member of the England U17s' 2019 Syrenka Cup-winning squad. [41]

On 6 October 2021, Iling-Junior made his debut for the England U19s as a substitute during a 3–1 defeat to France in Marbella, Spain. [42] He was included in the England U19 squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and played in their opening group stage game against Austria. [43] [44] Iling-Junior was an unused substitute in the final which England won with a 3–1 extra-time victory over Israel on 1 July. [45] [46] [47]

On 21 September 2022, Iling-Junior made his England U20 debut in a 3–0 win over Chile at the Pinatar Arena in Spain. [48] On 24 March 2023, he scored a brace in England U20's 2–0 win over Germany U20. [49] Iling-Junior was unable to attend the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to club commitments. [50]

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. [51] In March 2024 he scored two goals in a qualifier against Luxembourg at Toughsheet Community Stadium. [52] Iling-Junior was included in their squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and made an appearance off the bench as a substitute during extra time in the final as England defeated Germany 3–2 to win the tournament. [53]

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] [54]

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 3 May 2025 [55]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Juventus U23 [α] 2021–22 Serie C 10———1 [b] [13] 020
Juventus Next Gen [α] 2022–23 Serie C83———3 [b] [13] 2115
Total9300000042135
Juventus 2022–23 Serie A 12110—5 [c] 0—181
2023–24 Serie A24130———271
Total36240005000452
Aston Villa 2024–25 Premier League 00000000—00
Bologna (loan) 2024–25 Serie A7110—8 [d] 1—162
Middlesbrough (loan) 2024–25 Championship 161————161
Career total6875000131429010
  1. ↑ Includes Coppa Italia
  2. 1 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

    Juventus

    England U19

    England U21

    Notes

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
    5. ↑ Brewin, John (27 June 2022). "England youngsters reaping rewards of pathway at Under-19 Euros". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
    6. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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 (31 January 2023). "Sam Iling-Junior's journey from grassroots football to Juventus and EURO glory with England". England Football. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
    9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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.
    10. ↑ "U19 | Alla scoperta di Iling: "Essere alla Juve è un sogno"". Juventus FC (in Italian). 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
    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. 1 2 3 4 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)
    15. ↑ JuventusNews24, Redazione (21 May 2022). "Convocati Juve per la Fiorentina, UFFICIALE: riecco McKennie. Sei assenti". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    16. ↑ "Il Benfica in finale grazie ai calci di rigore. Non basta la gran rimonta della Juve". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
    17. ↑ "Juventus Next Gen, Iling Junior segna il primo gol della stagione". La Casa di C (in Italian). 3 September 2022. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
    18. 1 2 "Juventus Next Gen, esordio da sogno in Champions League per Iling Junior contro il Benfica". La Casa di C (in Italian). 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
    19. ↑ "Iling-Junior fa assist, Fagioli segna: i giovani alleviano la crisi della Juventus | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
    20. ↑ "Iling ko, la Juventus perde anche lui dopo il fallaccio di Di Francesco: il comunicato". tuttosport.com (in Italian). 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
    21. ↑ "Samuel Iling-Junior renews until 2025! – Juventus". Juventus FC . 19 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
    22. ↑ JuventusNews24, Redazione (19 January 2023). "Iling-Junior, prima da titolare! Esordio dal primo minuto in Juve Monza". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 7 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    23. ↑ Baridon, Marco (2 March 2023). "Juventus Next Gen Vicenza 1-2: ai veneti il primo atto, Iling non basta". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
    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)
    25. ↑ Baridon, Marco (11 April 2023). "Vicenza Juventus Next Gen 3-2: bianconeri sconfitti in finale, vincono i veneti!". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2023.
    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.
    30. 1 2 3 "ACCORDO CON L'ASTON VILLA PER LA CESSIONE DEFINITIVA DEI CALCIATORI ILING-JUNIOR E BARRENECHEA" (PDF). Juventus.com (in Italian). 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
    31. ↑ "Aston Villa confirm double signing". Aston Villa Football Club. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
    32. 1 2 "Aston Villa sign Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus". BBC Sport. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
    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.
    34. ↑ "Samuel Iling Jr completes loan switch". Aston Villa Football Club. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
    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. Retrieved 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.
    39. ↑ "Iling Jr joins West Bromwich Albion on loan". Aston Villa Football Club. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
    40. ↑ Horncastle, James (16 February 2023). "Samuel Iling-Junior exclusive: from Highbury to Juventus' first team — via Chelsea" . The Athletic. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
    41. ↑ "Young Lions lift the Syrenka Cup with a penalty shootout win over hosts Poland". England Football. 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
    42. ↑ "Young Lions suffer defeat in their first of three internationals in Spain". England Football. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
    43. ↑ Smith, Frank (17 June 2022). "Ian Foster has picked his 21-strong squad for this month's UEFA U19 EURO Finals in Slovakia". EnglandFootball.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
    44. ↑ "England U19 2–0 Austria U19". ESPN. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
    45. ↑ Honeyman, Sam (1 July 2022). "Israel 1–3 England (aet): Chukwuemeka and Ramsey the extra-time heroes as Young Lions fight back". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
    46. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (1 July 2022). "England win U19 EURO title after 3–1 win against Israel". EnglandFootball.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
    47. ↑ "Europei U19, trionfa l'Inghilterra: Israele si arrende nei supplementari". tuttosport.com (in Italian). July 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
    48. ↑ 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.
    49. ↑ "Juventus, Iling-Junior illumina l'Inghilterra U20: doppietta alla Germania". tuttosport.com (in Italian). 23 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
    50. ↑ Joyce, Paul (11 May 2023). "Juventus stop England from picking Samuel Iling-Junior for Under-20 World Cup" . The Times. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
    51. ↑ Dickson Jefford, Oli (11 September 2023). "Report: Luxembourg 0-3 England MU21s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
    52. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (26 March 2024). "England U21 7-0 Luxembourg U21: Hosts record resounding victory to boost qualifying hopes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
    53. 1 2 Mashiter, Nick (28 June 2025). "England U21 3–2 Germany U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
    54. ↑ "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.
    55. ↑ Samuel Iling-Junior at Soccerway . Retrieved 3 October 2021.
    56. ↑ 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.
    57. ↑ "Coppa Italia, Atalanta-Juventus 0-1: bianconeri campioni, 15° titolo". www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it (in Italian). 15 May 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
    58. ↑ 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)
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