Japanese · Kawasaki, Japan · Born 4 June 2001Supremely gifted young Japanese winger who became the first Japanese player to win La Liga and one of Real Madrid's most exciting attacking prospects.
Takefusa Kubo was born on 4 June 2001 in Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Japan, and began playing for local clubs at seven before being spotted at a Barcelona youth camp at age eight, where he was named the event's MVP. He joined Barcelona's famed La Masia academy permanently at ten, and as a youth player scored an extraordinary 74 goals in 30 games during one season, earning him the nickname "the Japanese Messi." Kubo never played a competitive first-team match for Barcelona: the club was found to have violated FIFA regulations on signing foreign minors, forcing his return to Japan in 2015, where he signed with FC Tokyo and made his J.League debut at just 15. His performances back home reignited interest from Europe's biggest clubs. Real Madrid signed Kubo in 2019, though he never featured for the first team, instead gaining experience through loan spells at Mallorca, Villarreal, and Getafe, before settling permanently at Real Sociedad in 2022, where he has established himself as one of La Liga's most technically gifted wingers. Kubo has represented Japan since 2019, becoming a key creative figure for the national team and one of the most prominent Asian players competing in one of Europe's top five leagues.
Youngest Japanese player to score in La Liga
He joined Barcelona's La Masia academy as a child and became the youngest player to appear in the academy in decades, before FIFA rules forced his return to Japan — and Real Madrid then signed him at 18.
Did You Know?How They Played
Technical attacking midfielder with excellent dribbling, vision and passing ability
Career Honours
- La Liga 2024 (Real Sociedad? or based on current season)
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals | Shirt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tokyo U-23 | 2016–2018 | — | 34 | 5 | — |
| FC Tokyo | 2016–2019 | — | 19 | 4 | — |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 2018–2018 | loan | 5 | 1 | — |
| Real Madrid | 2019–2022 | — | 0 | 0 | #11 |
| Mallorca | 2019–2020 | loan | 35 | 4 | #11 |
| Villarreal | 2020–2021 | loan | 13 | 0 | — |
| Getafe | 2021–2021 | loan | 18 | 1 | #11 |
| Mallorca | 2021–2022 | loan | 28 | 1 | #11 |
| Real Sociedad | 2022–Present | — | 125 | 23 | #11 |
 Japan | — | — | 35 | 6 | — |
Japanese Athletes