In 2014, Marotta and Paratici had finalized the arrival of the German defender: 1.5 million to Freiburg. But they hadn’t reckoned with Zorc…

Some say no… And then he also plays tricks. In Juve’s debacle in Como, everyone is thinking about the superlative Nico Paz, but the first (painful) wound was inflicted by Marc Oliver Kempf, an old acquaintance at Continassa. In the literal sense of the term. It is true that the now 30-year-old German defender arrived on the shores of Lake Como only a year ago, after a substantial career in the Bundesliga. Few people know, however, that in his rise to prominence in his youth, he had become a concrete transfer target for Juve.

We have to go back 11 years, when the then CEO of Juventus, Beppe Marotta, and sporting director Fabio Paratici were hunting for promising talent in Europe. Kempf, who came up through the Eintracht Frankfurt youth system, had also made a name for himself with the German national teams, playing a leading role in the Under-17 European Championship (silver medal) and then becoming European champion with the Under-21s. He always scored important goals in his forays into the opponent’s area. The reports from the Bianconeri scouts were excellent, so much so that they convinced the Juventus management to appoint agent Giacomo Petralito as an intermediary to contact Freiburg to close the deal. The deal was almost done with a payment of €1.5 million and a five-year contract for the player. The agreement was finalized when his family traveled to Turin. Marc Oliver and his parents were invited to visit Juventus, stopping at the Vinovo training center and then at the Continassa training center. In short, everything was settled.

Borussia Dortmund’s deception—  But at the last minute, the unthinkable happened. Shortly before the signing, Michael Zorc, then Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive, learned of the imminent deal and decided to intervene in his own way. He knew that Kempf had been a fan of the black and yellow club since he was a boy and used that passion to persuade him to reject Juventus’ offer, promising to sign him soon. It was a decision made with his heart, not a professional calculation. It was a move that he must have regretted over the years. Dortmund, for example, did not keep its word. So much so that Kempf remained at Freiburg and then spent his years in Germany between Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin. Goodbye Champions League, then, including the national team. Now his experience at Como is giving him some satisfaction, considering that he has committed himself to Fabregas’ ambitious project until 2027. And he has started this season on the right foot, too, given that goals are his specialty. He scored many and with quality in Germany, and he is repeating that here. First the goal against Fiorentina, now a razor-sharp strike against the Bianconeri. Meanwhile, Marotta and Paratici have gone their separate ways. The Inter president has continued to win and discover players, while his former right-hand man has just left Tottenham to put his talent scouting skills to good use. Meanwhile, these are delicate days in Turin. Comolli’s new course is struggling to find the right path to put the failures of his predecessors behind him, and Tudor’s bench is already shaking. In Como, however, Kempf’s rebirth is just one of many success stories in a group where young people are the real protagonists. Yes, because behind Nico Paz, there are many others waiting in the wings.