Moise Kean and the lesson of perseverance: a Florence love story
For newer fans of the game it may seem hard to remember but there was a time when Moise Kean looked as if he was the new hope of Italian football. Italy’s last world cup appearance was in 2014, having failed to qualify for the 2018 campaign. This was no coincidence as the national team has been aging for some time, in a rather timely resemblance to the crumbling and archaic stadiums that plague the Serie A and B. In fact, Moise Kean was part of the 2018 qualification campaign squad, being the youngest player having broken out of the Juventus youth team following a loan at Hellas Verona, and in his first full season shined with 6 goals in 13 league matches and a ratio of over a goal a game. Come the end of the 2018/19 season with Juventus predictably scooping up their 8th title in a row, Kean was a hot prospect and a shining youthful light for the Old Lady surrounded by the likes of Ronaldo (34), Mandzukic (33), Cuadrado (31) and Matuidi (32).
There seemed to be a great overlap in both the national team and Juventus – the problem of age – seemingly solved by this bright new starlet. But then, it happened. Everton came swooping in for 28 million euros; an offer Juventus couldn’t turn down, especially with regard to the fact that they had spent over three times that on Cristiano Ronaldo the previous summer.
Although we didn’t know it at the time this move would be damning for all involved. Kean never hit it off and after a single season boasting just 2 goals in 33 games he was moved on loan to PSG. Everton, despite spending 85 million pounds in one window, slumped to an uninspiring 12th place and Juventus embarrassingly crashed out of the Champions League to Lyon in the round of 16. Arguably as well, despite Juve picking up a 9th successive title win, the cracks were beginning to show, and have yet to win a title since. Regardless, Kean actually returned to Juve after a successful loan at PSG in an act of defiance against his ‘wonderkid flop’ label. But unfortunately for him, his time at Juve cemented it even further. 14 goals in 102 games including the whole of 23/24 going without a goal.
Yes, there were injuries in this time and the lack of starts didn’t help, but it really felt that if Kean didn’t settle somewhere, at 24, in the summer that he may have to drop down a division to re find his form. If you think that is a tad pessimistic, then may I point to Patrick Cutrone, who incidentally had a very similar career path to Kean, making a name at Milan and flopping in the Premier League. Well, after a string of fails loans Cutrone dropped down into Serie B and has since found form, aiding Fabregas’ Como to the top flight for the first time since the 80s. It felt like a similar fate could happen to Kean if things didn’t change. And so, with his lowest market value fee in 6 years at 14 million euros, Kean was picked up by Fiorentina.
They took a chance: a stab in the dark at a player who hadn’t looked convincing in front of goal for 4 seasons. In some ways this move made little sense. You would assume that a change of scene that a player desperately needs would come in the form of changing leagues. But then again, perhaps it was never the league but rather the system he played in. In many ways, this makes Kean the perfect fit for the club from Florence. A team constantly overlooked and doubted, a team with little success to shout about since the 60s. A colourful and vibrant city with a huge fan base but rarely talked about outside of Italy because they simply don’t win. Perhaps this can be best illustrated through their back to back conference league final defeats to West Ham and Olympiakos respectively.
However, this season something is different for both parties. A summer of smart business has seen the club rising to 4th place in the Serie A table with only a singular loss in September to ruin a clean record. The club is just 3 points from the top and sit comfortably in 3rd of the conference league table, coming off the back of a 7-0 pumping of Austrian outfit LASK just yesterday (at the time of writing).
The form of Fiorentina can be interlinked to the success of Kean who after 4 years has seemingly found his shooting boots. His confidence is at an all time high, sitting with 13 goals in 19 games including 3 in 4 in the conference league. The moral of the story is that Moise Kean is the poster boy for the failed wonderkid turned success. To come to this point it has taken years of belief in himself, trusting that with enough perseverance and hard work he can return to the heights of his youth.
Everyday it seems a new star is being praised and another tossed away as fans and clubs alike give up on hot prospects who haven’t hit the ground running immediately and Moise Kean is a reminder to all that a player isn’t finished after 23. We as fans are so quick to heap on young players, and we are seeing the trend that footballers are peaking later and later in their careers. And it is rather poetic that a team such as Fiorentina whose very identity is built on 2nd chances and perseverance, is reaping the rewards of a talent such as Moise Kean in 2024. Long may it continue.
