From foster care to Champions League - Kelly 'just getting started'

"I've come a long way."

Lloyd Kelly's words carry added meaning as the Englishman prepares to line up for Juventus against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, because there's little doubt the former Newcastle United and Bournemouth defender has travelled further than most to reach this grand stage.

Kelly was placed in foster care at the age of seven and lived with three different families, alongside his siblings, Mary and Marcus, over the course of more than a decade.

And he has never shied away from speaking about his journey.

"Fostering is something that I will always have a passion for," said the 27-year-old. "I know first-hand what the foster care system can do for children.

"I don't think people really realise what impact they can have because it gives the children a sense of home, a sense of family, a sense of meaning - and it means a lot.

"You are able to go experience different things that maybe you would not have if you had stayed in your home environment. It's an amazing thing and I'll always be a supporter of the system."

Kelly is tellingly still in touch with his most recent foster mum, Thelma, who has an open invitation to come out to Turin to visit.

And he is determined to build a stable home for his own son.

"I want to be that role model and share my experiences and my life to my family and my son as well," he said.

But how did he find himself playing in Italy?

Kelly had been struggling to break into the Newcastle team, so it was a "no-brainer" when the defender received an "unexpected" phone call from his agent, who asked him if he wanted to move to Juventus in the final throes of the mid-season window earlier this year.

The new arrival made his debut just a few days later, in a 2-1 win against Como in February, but it was a challenging start.

Juventus were subsequently knocked out of the Champions League by PSV in the knockout phase play-offs. Empoli defeated the Serie A giants in the Coppa Italia. And Kelly's side ended up 12 points behind champions Napoli in the league.

Manager Thiago Motta was sacked in March and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, who was instrumental in bringing Kelly to Turin, followed the Italian out of the door a few months later.

All the while Kelly was adjusting to a different culture, language and style of play - and his family had not yet joined him abroad.

"It's always difficult coming to a club, especially one with this status and with the players who have played for them and what it means to the fans," he said.

"The amount of history behind the club is huge. The players who have played for the club is insane."

But Kelly now feels supporters are seeing the "real him".

He has started all nine of Juventus' games under Igor Tudor this season and has popped up with a couple of crucial goals.

Though he gave away a penalty late on, Kelly went up the other end to score a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser in the 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last month.

No wonder Kelly was still awake in the early hours of the morning as the adrenaline pumped through his body.

"At the beginning of my career, I would never have thought I would be able to play Champions League football," he said. "When you walk out and you hear the anthem, it gives you those chills.

"It was something I always looked at thinking, 'can I get there?' Being able to is a huge thing."

Kelly does not sound satisfied just yet, however.

England manager Thomas Tuchel may have a settled group, but the defender has not given up on one day representing his country at senior level.

"It's something that's always been in my mind since I finished with the under-21s," he said. "The England squad is so strong.

"The amount of players and the quality England have is huge. Everyone knows this is a very important year coming up to the World Cup.

"It's just about me playing my best football and seeing where it goes."

It was a prospect that felt even further away a year ago.

Kelly acknowledged that his move to Newcastle did not go "the way he wanted" after he joined from Bournemouth on a free transfer in June 2024.

Such was the form of Dan Burn and Lewis Hall, who played in Kelly's preferred positions at left-sided centre-back and left-back, he ended up making only a handful of league starts for Newcastle.

"As a player, you want to go in, show what you can do and play consistent football," he said.

"But I bear no ill towards Newcastle. They gave me an opportunity to grow and play at a really good club."

Kelly instead reflects fondly on the "unbelievable" atmosphere he experienced at St James' Park.

He is also "proud to have stood alongside" the players who went on to end Newcastle's 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the Carabao Cup.

Kelly had moved on by then, but he started in the wins against AFC Wimbledon and Chelsea in the earlier rounds and came off the bench in the semi-final first-leg victory at Arsenal.

Just as a medal has recently been sent to forward Miguel Almiron to mark his contribution - the Paraguayan also left in the mid-season window, for Atlanta United - one is on the way to Kelly.

The centre-back clearly left on good terms with head coach Eddie Howe, who had previously brought him to Bournemouth before signing him for Newcastle.

"The amount of players who have played under him and progressed is top," he said. "I'll always hold him in high regard."

Kelly had not long said farewell to Howe when he found himself walking into the Juventus dressing room for the first time.

It was a space where defensive giants like Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini once sat.

And now Kelly is following in their footsteps.

"I've come a long way," he said. "You could say I'm just getting started."