After the in-depth reports on Tommaso Barbieri and Dean Huijsen, it is time to take a look back at Joseph Nonge's 2022/2023 season.
For the Belgian midfielder, born in 2005, it was a hugely formative year in every way.
THE SEASON BY NUMBERS
Nonge made 41 appearances across all competitions over the course of the season. Forty of those came for the Primavera and there was just one for the Next Gen side, which marked his debut in professional football.
Diving into a little more detail, Joseph played 33 times in the league - including the play-offs - and only missed out on two games. In the Primavera Cup he played in the Bianconeri’s only game, which came against Napoli in the Round of 16. He started six of the possible seven UEFA Youth League games, debuting in the competition.
The icing on the cake of his season came as he made his professional debut with the Juventus Next Gen side, and it came as a starter as well.
It really was a season of firsts for Joseph, as he also scored his first three goals for the Under-19 team, all of which came in the league.
PRIMAVERA DEBUT
To properly reflect on Nonge’s time with the Primavera, it’s important to look back beyond the season that has just concluded.
His Under-19 debut came back in the 2021/22 season on February 12, 2022. The Bianconeri were winning 4-0 at Vinovo against Fiorentina and the youngster, then just 16, came on in the 77th minute to wear the Primavera shirt for the first time. His second appearance came away at Atalanta in the following game.
Nonge’s first game of last season came in the opening week of fixtures, with new coach Paolo Montero introducing him from the bench at the start of the second half away at Sassuolo.
He went on to make his first-ever start for the Primavera the following week as Udinese visited Vinovo.
His first goal didn’t take much longer to come, and he was celebrating getting off the mark for the Bianconeri the following week when he scored an equaliser against Empoli, levelling the scores at 1-1. That goal was the start of a great afternoon as Juventus went on to win 5-2.
NEXT GEN DEBUT
Having enjoyed a good season with the Primavera, Nonge was given the chance to make his professional debut with the Juventus Next Gen side. Having been called up twice without managing to get out onto the pitch, his time came against Pro Patria before even turning 18. Then, Massimo Brambilla chose Joseph from the start, and he put in a good shift for an hour.
As can be seen, the foundations of Nonge’s career have been laid, and his career path has been mapped out.