Samuel Iling-Junior

Early career

Born in Islington, London, to Congolese parents, Iling-Junior joined Chelsea academy in 2011 at the age of eight, and spent nine years with the club. He attended secondary school at St Aloysius' College, Highgate. He was promoted to the under-19s aged 16. In 2020, he decided to leave Chelsea, rejecting an athletic scholarship deal, 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.

Juventus

2020–2022

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. 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. He finished the 2020–21 season with four goals and seven assists in 28 matches for the under-19 team. On 22 August, he made his debut for Juventus U23 in a 3–2 win against Pro Sesto in the Coppa Italia Serie C. His Serie C debut came on 3 October, replacing Nikola Sekulov in the second half against Mantova. Iling-Junior was first called up to the first team on 21 May 2022, for a match against Fiorentina. In the 2021–22 season, he improved his stats, having played 36 matches and scored 13 goals. Iling-Junior also helped the U19s reach the UEFA Youth League semifinals, their best-ever placing in the competition.

2022–2024

Iling-Junior…

Born in England, Iling-Junior is of DR Congolese descent. He was a member of the England U17s' 2019 Syrenka Cup-winning squad. 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. 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. Iling-Junior was an unused substitute in the final which England won with a 3–1 extra-time victory over Israel on 1 July. On 21 September 2022, Iling-Junior made his England U20 debut in a 3–0 win over Chile at the Pinatar Arena in Spain. On 24 March 2023, he scored a brace in England U20's 2–0 win over Germany U20. Iling-Junior was unable to attend the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to club commitments. 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. In March 2024 he scored two goals in a qualifier against Luxembourg at Toughsheet Community Stadium. 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.

Iling-Junior mainly plays as 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. His main qualities are his goalscoring, dribbling and running abilities.

Iling-Junior moved to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he found challenging. He has since become nearly fluent in Italian.