| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2002-06-12) 12 June 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium[1] | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AC Milan | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | City Pirates Antwerp | ||
| 2015–2016 | Lierse SK | ||
| 2016–2018 | Zulte Waregem | ||
| 2018–2021 | Juventus | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Juventus U23 | 22 | (2) |
| 2021–2024 | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Empoli (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Genoa (loan) | 29 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Genoa | 25 | (3) |
| 2025– | AC Milan | 13 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Belgium U15 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017 | Belgium U16 | 2 | (1) |
| 2019 | Belgium U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Belgium U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Belgium U21 | 18 | (0) |
| 2024– | Belgium | 5 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:47, 18 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:22, 15 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Koni De Winter (born 12 June 2002) is a Belgian[3] professional footballer who plays as Centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan and the Belgium national team.
Club career
Early career
De Winter played in City Pirates Antwerp until 2015.[4] He played the 2015–16 season in the Lierse SK youth academy.[4] The following season, De Winter moved to the Zulte Waregem youth academy.[4] In the summer of 2018, he moved to Italian Serie A club Juventus, becoming the first Belgian footballer ever to play for them.[5][6] Initially joining the youth academy, in the 2018–19 season, De Winter made 27 appearances and scored one goal with the under-17s.[5] In the 2019–20 season, he made 8 appearances with the under-19s team.[7] The following season, De Winter made 23 appearances with the under-19s[8] often playing as captain.[6]
Juventus
First call-up by Juventus and 2021–22 season
On 28 October 2020, De Winter was called up by Juventus' first team coach Andrea Pirlo for a UEFA Champions League match against Spanish La Liga club Barcelona.[9] On 20 February 2021, he renewed his contract until 2024.[10] On 24 July, he made his unofficial debut for Juventus in a 3–1 win against Cesena; scoring the opening goal in the 4th minute.[11]
De Winter made his debut for Juventus U23 – the reserve team of Juventus – on 22 August 2021 in a 3–2 win against Pro Sesto in the Coppa Italia Serie C.[12] On 20 October, he was sent-off in a 2–2 draw against AlbinoLeffe, ten minutes after his entry onto the field.[13] On 27 October, De Winter scored his first career goal: an equalizing goal in a 1–1 draw against Piacenza.[14]
On 23 November, he made his official debut with the first team as well as his debut in the Champions League in a 4–0 defeat against English Premier League club Chelsea coming on as substitute of Juan Cuadrado in the 81st minute.[15] On 8 December, De Winter made his debut as starter for the first team in a 1–0 win against Malmö FF, becoming the youngest Juventus player to debut as a starter at 19 years and 179 days;[16] he was eventually susbstitued in the 70th minute by Mattia De Sciglio.[17]
On 29 January 2022, he had a luxation of his left shoulder during a match against Feralpisalò.[18] On 6 March, De Winter returned from his injury in a 1–0 win against Pro Sesto coming on as a substitute the 85th minute; four minutes later, De Winter scored the winning goal.[19] After the end of the season, on 9 July, the defender officially renewed his contract with the club until 2026.[20][21]
Loan to Empoli
On 9 July 2022, the same day as his contract extension with Juventus was announced, De Winter was sent on loan to fellow Serie A side Empoli,[22] with the deal being made official by both teams the following day.[21][23][24]
Loan to Genoa
On 11 August 2023, he moved on loan to Genoa, with a conditional obligation to buy.[25]
Genoa
On 1 July 2024, De Winter was permanently transferred to Genoa ahead of the 2024–25 season, as the club achieved the conditional buy obligation for an estimated €8 million transfer fee.[26][27]
AC Milan
On 13 August 2025, De Winter joined fellow Serie A club AC Milan on a five-year contract.[28]
International career
On 23 March 2024, De Winter debuted for the Belgium national team in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland.[29]
Style of play
A pretty versatile player, De Winter can play as a central defender, a full-back on both sides, a defensive midfielder or even as a mezzala.[4][30]
Personal life
De Winter was born in Belgium to a Belgian father and Congolese-French mother. De Winter holds both Congolese and French citizenship.[31]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 January 2026[32]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Juventus U23 | 2021–22 | Serie C | 22 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| Juventus | 2021–22 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Empoli (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Genoa (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| Genoa | 2024–25 | Serie A | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| Genoa total | 54 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 57 | 3 | ||||
| AC Milan | 2025–26 | Serie A | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Career total | 103 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 120 | 5 | ||
- Notes
- ^ Includes Coppa Italia Serie C, Coppa Italia
- ^ Appearances in Serie C promotion play-offs
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
International
- As of match played 15 November 2025[33]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | |
Honours
Juventus[32]
- Supercoppa Italiana runner-up: 2021
References
- ^ "Jonge Duivel Koni De Winter traint bij Juventus met beste verdedigers ter wereld: "Ik wil een mix van Bonucci, Chiellini en De Ligt worden"". www.nieuwsblad.be. 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Koni De Winter". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Op bezoek bij Koni De Winter, de jongste basisspeler ooit bij Juventus in de Champions League: "Ik wil zoals Chiellini hier vijftien jaar spelen"". www.nieuwsblad.be. 16 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d Attanasio, Christian (18 July 2020). "Juve Primavera: Koni De Winter, il (primo) belga duttile arrivato a Torino". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Koni De Winter: il jolly della Juve Under 17 che sogna di scrivere la storia". Juventus News - Ultime Notizie Juve - il BiancoNero (in Italian). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ a b ""Forse saranno della partita": chi sono De Winter, Soulé e Miretti, i giovani su cui punta Allegri". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 10 September 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Giocatore - KONI DE WINTER | Lega Serie A". www.legaseriea.it (in Italian). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Giocatore - KONI DE WINTER | Lega Serie A". www.legaseriea.it (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (28 October 2020). "Convocati Juve per il Barcellona: la decisione su Bonucci, 3 giovani in lista". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Juventus, il talento belga Koni De Winter ha rinnovato fino al 2024". Blasting News (in Italian). 20 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Bianconeri win first preseason friendly! - Juventus". Juventus FC. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Alessandro Villano (22 August 2021). "Pro Sesto Juventus U23 2-3 dts: i bianconeri avanzano in Coppa Italia". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ Baridon, Marco (20 October 2021). "Albinoleffe Juventus U23 2-2: Kaio Jorge e Pecorino per la doppia rimonta". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Baridon, Marco (27 October 2021). "Piacenza Juventus U23 1-1: De Winter e i guanti di Garofani salvano Zauli". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Munno, Mauro (23 November 2021). "Chelsea-Juve 4-0: tracollo bianconero a Stamford Bridge". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (8 December 2021). "De Winter da record: è il più giovane a riuscirci con la maglia della Juve". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Munno, Mauro (8 December 2021). "Juve Malmoe 1-0: Kean per il primato nel gruppo H". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (29 January 2022). "Infortunio De Winter: difensore ko in Juventus U23-Feralpisalò. Le condizioni". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (6 March 2022). "De Winter, rientro con gol: il belga subito decisivo per l'U23". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (9 July 2022). "De Winter rinnova con la Juventus: l'accordo è UFFICIALE – FOTO". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Under 23, Koni De Winter in prestito all'Empoli". Juventus.com (in Italian). 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (9 July 2022). "De Winter Empoli, è UFFICIALE: depositato il contratto del difensore. I dettagli". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Koni De Winter è un nuovo calciatore azzurro". Empoli FC (in Italian). 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Redazione JuventusNews24 (10 July 2022). "De Winter Empoli, il trasferimento ora è ufficiale: il comunicato della Juve". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "KONI DE WINTER È UN GIOCATORE DEL GENOA" [KONI DE WINTER IS A GENOA PLAYER] (in Italian). Genoa. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Koni De Winter è un giocatore del Genoa" (in Italian). Genoa CFC. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Official: How much Juventus earn from permanent defender's sale to Genoa". Football Italia. 3 May 2024.
- ^ "OFFICIAL STATEMENT: KONI DE WINTER". AC Milan. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ Maréchal, Edouard (25 March 2024). "Le bizutage de Koni De Winter après sa première avec les Diables Rouges" [Koni De Winter's haze after his debut with the Red Devils]. Walfoot (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Conterio, Marco (10 September 2021). "Il primo belga della storia della Juventus: De Winter coi big, l'annuncio arriva da Allegri". TUTTOmercatoWEB.com (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "Op bezoek bij Koni De Winter, de jongste basisspeler ooit bij Juventus in de Champions League: "Ik wil zoals Chiellini hier vijftien jaar spelen"". www.nieuwsblad.be. 16 March 2022.
- ^ a b Koni De Winter at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Koni De Winter at the Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
External links
- Profile at the AC Milan website
- Koni De Winter at the Royal Belgian Football Association
- Koni De Winter – UEFA competition record (archive)
