This review presents the main potentialities provided by a substrate bearing at least one chiral carbon atom which is the source of stereodifferentiation when a catalytic functionalization is performed. This chirality control introduced by the substrate itself is an alternative to the classical strategy of introducing chiral ligands in the coordination sphere of a metal, although the level of diastereoselectivity is lower in the former system. We describe how the substrate can induce asymmetry; several catalytic mechanisms are detailed. This relatively unexplored concept could have potential as abundant bidentate non-chiral ligands can be used to tune the stereocontrol of the substrate functionalization.