Soccer: De Ligt joins Juve

(ANSA) - Turin, July 18 - Netherlands teen centre back and former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt on Thursday joined Juventus.
    The Bianconeri said the 19-year-old, who impressed in the Amsterdam club's run to the Champions League semi-finals, signed a five year contract tying him to the Turin giants until 2024.
    Eight-time straight and reigning Italian champs Juve won the race for De Light's services ahead of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
    De Ligt cost the Bianconeri 75 million euros plus additional costs of 10.5 million euros, making him one of the most expensive defenders in the history of football.
    "Turn De Light On", raved the Juve website.
    It said "sturdy on the ground and lethal in the air, de Ligt boasts a winning combination that is necessary in that of being a modern defender. His aerial strength is not only useful when it comes to clearing chances away in the box, but one that makes him a threat to the opposition. In fact, only Cristiano Ronaldo (four) scored more headed goals than the 29-year-old in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign, while he is also the youngest defender to have ever scored in the competition. "On the international stage, de Ligt made his debut for the Dutch national team against Bulgaria (2-0 away defeat) in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match, despite only having made two starts for Ajax at the time. Since then, he has gone on to represent his country on 17 occasions, scoring two goals.
    "The centre-back will become the fifth player from the Netherlands to pull on the Juventus jersey, following Ouasim Bouy, Eljero Elia, Edwin van der Sar, and of course, the iconic Edgar Davids. "De Ligt is Bianconero. Welkom, Matthijs!"