Samuel Mbangula returned to Italy to make his first Serie A start for Milan, where he scored a hat-trick to lead the team to a 4-2 win over Bologna. The young Belgian winger, born in 2004, scored his first away goal in Serie A, having scored all his previous goals at home with Juventus. The episode was a moment of great satisfaction for Milan, which reopened a theme already known in Turin: the production of talents from Juventus Next Gen who find their dimension away from the Juventus first team.
Mbangula began his career with Juventus Next Gen in 2023/24, recording 25 appearances and two goals. His promotion to the first team was requested by Thiago Motta and he made his debut with a goal against Como. In 2024/25 he completed 23 appearances and three goals in Serie A. His path was followed by other youngsters such as Dean Huijsen, Matias Soulé and Enzo Barrenechea, all products of the same structure and now featured in teams such as Real Madrid, Roma and Benfica. Koni De Winter, now at Milan, has also had a similar journey, and his performance yesterday started Odgaard's assist for Mbangula's third goal.
Mbangula's transfer to Werder Bremen took place for 10 million euros plus two bonuses in 2025, after negotiations with Nottingham Forest fell through. He returned to Italy on 1 September on loan with the right to buy. Kenan Yildiz is another example of a player who has remained at Juventus, proving that the club can be successful with both the sale and retention of young talents.
According to data from Calcio e Finanza, Juventus Next Gen has generated almost 235 million euros in revenue in seven years since its launch in 2018. Transactions with young players who started away from the continent have totaled 44 sales, with capital gains of 187 million euros, equal to 44% of the total 428 million made by the club in that period. The peak of 74 million was recorded in 2024/25, and over 45 million in bonuses and sell-on fees were added. A recent example is Vasilije Adzic, who was loaned to Sassuolo at a cost of 0.5 million and a redemption right set at 12 million, with a return of 13.7 million.
Juventus, who suffered a 2-0 defeat against Genoa on the same evening, find themselves 14 points in the standings, eighth place and six points from fourth place. Luciano Spalletti's team has suffered three defeats in the league, and the bench is increasingly the subject of discussion. Despite the crisis, the club continues to produce talent that can be sold profitably, but the question remains as to how different the squad would be if more players were home grown.