Takefusa Kubo facts for kids
Kubo in 2019
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Takefusa Kubo | ||
| Date of birth | 4 June 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right winger, attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Real Sociedad | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Sakahama SC | ||
| 2006–2007 | Yurigaoka Junior SC | ||
| 2008–2009 | FC Persimmon | ||
| 2010–2011 | Kawasaki Frontale | ||
| 2011–2015 | Barcelona | ||
| 2015–2016 | FC Tokyo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | FC Tokyo U-23 | 34 | (5) |
| 2016–2019 | FC Tokyo | 19 | (4) |
| 2018 | → Yokohama F. Marinos (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2019–2022 | Real Madrid | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Mallorca (loan) | 35 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | → Villarreal (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Getafe (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | → Mallorca (loan) | 28 | (1) |
| 2022– | Real Sociedad | 101 | (21) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | Japan U16 | 17 | (11) |
| 2016–2017 | Japan U17 | 11 | (4) |
| 2016–2018 | Japan U20 | 15 | (3) |
| 2018 | Japan U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Japan U23 | 16 | (7) |
| 2019– | Japan | 44 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2025 |
|||
Takefusa Kubo (born on June 4, 2001) is a Japanese professional footballer. He plays as a right winger for the Spanish club Real Sociedad. He also plays for the Japan national team. Fans sometimes call him "Japanese Messi". This is because he is very good at dribbling, shooting, and setting up goals.
Contents
Kubo's Football Journey
Starting Young: Early Career
Takefusa Kubo started playing football at age seven. He joined local clubs in his hometown, Kawasaki, Japan. In 2009, when he was eight, he won an award at an FC Barcelona Soccer Camp.
In April 2010, he joined the FC Barcelona School team. They played in a cup in Belgium, where his team finished third. Kubo was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. After this, he returned to Japan and played for Kawasaki Frontale's youth team.
Joining Barcelona's Youth Academy
In August 2011, Kubo was invited to join FC Barcelona's famous youth academy, La Masia. He passed the tryouts and started playing for their Under-11 team. In his first full season (2012–13), he was the top scorer. He scored an amazing 74 goals in just 30 games!
Later, in 2014–15, he moved up to the Under-14 team. However, FC Barcelona had broken some rules about signing young players. Because of this, Kubo could no longer play for the club. He went back to Japan in March 2015. There, he joined FC Tokyo's junior youth team.
Playing for FC Tokyo
Kubo joined FC Tokyo's Under-18 team in 2016. In September 2016, he moved up to the main senior team. He was only fifteen years old at the time. On November 5, he played his first professional game in the J3 League. He became the youngest player ever to debut in the J.League at 15 years, five months, and one day.
On April 15, 2017, Kubo made history again. He became the youngest player to score a goal in the J.League. He was 15 years and ten months old. In November 2017, FC Tokyo gave him a new contract. This meant he was officially a first-team player.
Loan to Yokohama F. Marinos
On August 16, 2018, Kubo went on loan to Yokohama F. Marinos for half a year. He scored a goal in his very first game for them. When the 2019 season started, Kubo became a regular player for FC Tokyo. He scored goals in both the J.League YBC Levain Cup and the J.League.
Moving to Real Madrid
On June 14, 2019, Kubo signed a five-year contract with the famous Spanish club Real Madrid. Even though he was officially part of their Under-19 team, he trained a lot with the main team. He even played in their preseason games in the United States and Germany.
Loans to Spanish Clubs
- Mallorca (2019–2020): On August 22, 2019, Kubo joined Mallorca on loan for a season. He made his La Liga debut on September 1. He was the youngest Japanese player to play in one of Europe's top four leagues. He scored his first goal for Mallorca in November 2019.
- Villarreal and Getafe (2020–2021): In August 2020, he was loaned to Villarreal. He mostly played as a substitute there. His loan ended early in January 2021. Right after, he moved to Getafe on loan for the rest of that season.
- Return to Mallorca (2021–2022): On August 12, 2021, Kubo went back to Mallorca for another season-long loan. In December, he scored a winning goal in the final minutes of a game against Atlético Madrid.
Joining Real Sociedad
On July 19, 2022, Kubo joined Real Sociedad permanently. He was the first Japanese player to sign with this club. He scored a goal in his very first game for Real Sociedad. This helped them win 1–0 against Cádiz. In September 2023, he played very well against his old club, Real Madrid. In October 2023, he was named "man of the match" for his great performance in a 1–0 win over Mallorca.
Playing for Japan
Kubo has played for various Japan national teams. He started with the Under-15 team and moved up to the senior team. At just fifteen, he was chosen for the Japan U-20 national team for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Just before his eighteenth birthday, Kubo was called up to the senior national team for the 2019 Copa América. He made his debut on June 9, 2019, in a friendly match. In July 2021, he was part of the Under-23 team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He scored Japan's first goal in the Olympics against South Africa.
In November 2022, Kubo was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He started in important group stage wins against Germany and Spain.
Awards and Achievements
Kubo has received several awards for his excellent play:
- La Liga Player of the Month: September 2023
- UEFA La Liga Revelation Team of the Year: 2019–20
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2021, 2024
- Japan Pro-Footballers Association Awards Best XI: 2022, 2023
- Real Sociedad Player of the Season: 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Take Kubo para niños
