Juventus: Matthijs de Ligt has shown why he has the true spirit of the club

When a team is locked in a tough top-four or title race with their season on the line, the fans see which players are truly in the battles and worth building around. Center back Matthijs de Ligt has been a standout player for Juventus since the second half of the 2019-2020 season, having signed from Ajax for a huge transfer fee.

Although things have not worked out for Juve in de Ligt’s second season in Italy, the 21-year-old is doing his damndest to make sure the Bianconeri don’t suffer a major letdown in the form of missing out on the Champions League – the competition in which de Ligt made a name for himself.

De Ligt has been solid for Juventus throughout the season, but he’s really shown up in some of the biggest games. He was one of the best players on the pitch in the 3-2 win over Inter on Saturday afternoon. Although he was unlucky to give up a penalty, he was tremendous in his one-on-one battle with Lautaro Martinez, stopping multiple goal-scoring situations.

A future Juventus captain, de Ligt showed his leadership qualities in the victory. He was barking orders at more senior players and organizing those around him to make sure Juve maintained their defensive structure. Always alert to Inter on the transition, de Ligt clearly did his homework on the likes of Lautaro.

Matthijs de Ligt has scarcely had a bad game for Juventus during this challenging top-four race

Beyond the Derby d’Italia, de Ligt was solid against Sassuolo and was really the only player who showed up in the embarrassment vs. Milan. Prior to that, he scored and assisted in a 3-1 win over Parma, which served as a bounce-back from their weekend defeat to Atalanta in the top-four race.

Since the start of April – which ushered in “crunch time” for Juventus – de Ligt has produced just one below-average performance, which was in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.

He has been downright brilliant in other matches and has come up with several clutch defensive plays, including in wins over fellow top-four competitors Napoli and Inter.

De Ligt is just 21, yet he carries himself like a player who has been starring for Juventus for a decade. There are players who have been here for years who do not show the same initiative and intensity as de Ligt. This man clearly does his homework on top strikers before he faces them, which is why he’s so often able to come up big against them.

Whereas some of the other Juve center backs have talent but struggle with consistently stabilizing the defense, de Ligt is a man Juve can rely on. He puts his body on the line in the same way Giorgio Chiellini and many other legendary Bianconero defenders have over the years. His willingness to be vocal, get his shirt dirty, get physical, and even join the attack when needed are all traits that you need to have to be a world-class center back in Turin.

There are so many negatives about the 2020-2021 season, but de Ligt’s continual evolution into a leader is one of the somewhat hidden positives. De Ligt embodies the spirit of the club with his playing style and attitude.