Takumi Minamino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Takumi Minamino
南野 拓実

Minamino with Red Bull Salzburg in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Takumi Minamino
Date of birth	(1995-01-16) 16 January 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Izumisano, Japan
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team	Monaco
Number	18
Youth career
2004–2006	Sessel Kumatori SC
2007–2012	Cerezo Osaka
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Cerezo Osaka	62	(7)
2015–2020	Red Bull Salzburg	136	(42)
2020–2022	Liverpool	30	(4)
2021	→ Southampton (loan)	10	(2)
2022–	Monaco	79	(16)
International career‡
2010–2011	Japan U17	15	(6)
2012	Japan U20	8	(5)
2015–2016	Japan Olympic	14	(4)
2015–	Japan	67	(24)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Runner-up 2019 UAE AFC U-23 Championship Winner 2016 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2025

Takumi Minamino (南野 拓実, Minamino Takumi, born 16 January 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger. He currently plays for Ligue 1 club Monaco. He also plays for the Japan national team.

Minamino started his club career at J.League Division 1 club Cerezo Osaka in 2012. In his first season, he was named J.League Rookie of the Year. In 2014, he moved to Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. He spent five successful seasons there. After playing very well for Salzburg, he joined Liverpool on January 1, 2020. He won the 2019–20 Premier League in his first season with Liverpool.

Minamino first played for Japan's senior national team in 2015. He was a key player when Japan reached the final of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He also played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Early Life and Football Dreams

Takumi Minamino was born in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. When he was in elementary school, he played for a local club called Sessel Kumatori. He was inspired by the Brazilian striker Ronaldo. Ronaldo was the top scorer at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which Japan helped host when Takumi was seven.

Takumi would watch videos of Ronaldo's amazing dribbling moves. Then he would go outside to practice them himself. His older brother, Kenta, also inspired him. Their father would set up cones in a car park for them to practice dribbling quickly. Takumi described himself as a very active child.

Club Career Journey

Starting at Cerezo Osaka

Minamino joined the Cerezo Osaka youth team when he was 12 years old. He moved up through their training system. He saw players like Shinji Kagawa playing for the first team. He even got to train with them.

In 2009, Minamino was the top scorer in Japan's U15 Club Youth Soccer Championship. He scored eight goals. The next year, he helped Cerezo Osaka's U15 team finish first in the Prince League Kansai. In 2011, he played for the U18 team and was one of their top scorers. He also helped them reach the J Youth Cup final.

Minamino joined Cerezo Osaka's first team in August 2012. He made his debut on November 17, 2012. He scored his first goal for Cerezo in December 2012 in the Emperor's Cup.

In 2013, he became a regular player for the first team. He was the first player from the club's youth system to play in the opening game of the season. He scored his first J.League Division 1 goal on July 7, 2013. This made him the youngest goal scorer for the club. He also scored in a friendly match against Manchester United. Manchester United's manager, David Moyes, praised his performance. At the end of 2013, he won the J.League Best Newcomer award.

In 2014, Minamino played in the AFC Champions League. He scored his first goals in that competition in March 2014. He continued to score goals in various competitions throughout the season. By the end of 2014, he had played 62 league games for Cerezo Osaka and scored 7 goals.

Success with Red Bull Salzburg

Minamino playing for Red Bull Salzburg in 2015

Red Bull Salzburg had been watching Minamino for a long time. They signed him on January 7, 2015. He made his debut for Red Bull Salzburg on February 13, 2015. He scored his first goals for the club in March 2015. He helped the team win the Austrian league and the Austrian Cup in his first season.

In the 2015–16 season, Minamino started strong, scoring several goals in August. He continued to score throughout the season. He helped Salzburg win the league for the second year in a row. He also played in the Austrian Cup final.

Minamino (right) celebrating winning the 2014–15 Austrian Football Bundesliga with Red Bull Salzburg

For the 2016–17 season, Minamino scored his first hat-trick for Red Bull Salzburg in February 2017. He played a big part in helping the team win both the Austrian Cup and the league for the third time in a row. He started playing more often as a striker.

In the 2017–18 season, Minamino scored three goals early on. He helped Red Bull Salzburg win the league for the fourth time in a row. Salzburg also had their best ever European season. They reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Minamino scored two goals in the knockout stages of that competition.

Minamino playing for Red Bull Salzburg in 2018

In the 2018–19 season, Minamino scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League Qualification Round. On November 8, 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League match against Rosenborg. He helped Salzburg win the league for the fifth time in a row. They also won the Austrian Cup.

Minamino started the 2019–20 season by scoring four goals. He also set up two goals in a UEFA Champions League match. He scored against Liverpool in a Champions League game. His last game for Salzburg was on December 7, 2019.

Time at Liverpool

In December 2019, Liverpool agreed to sign Minamino from Salzburg. He joined them in January 2020, becoming the first Japanese player for the club.

Minamino made his Liverpool debut on January 5, 2020, in an FA Cup win. He played his first Premier League game on January 23. On August 29, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in the 2020 FA Community Shield. On December 19, he scored his first league goal for Liverpool in a big win against Crystal Palace.

On February 1, 2021, Minamino joined Southampton on loan for the rest of the season. He scored on his debut for Southampton five days later. He played ten times for them and scored twice. He returned to Liverpool for the 2021–22 season.

Minamino (front) playing for Liverpool in 2021

On November 20, 2021, Minamino scored his first goal at Anfield, Liverpool's home stadium. On December 22, 2021, he scored a last-minute goal in the EFL Cup against Leicester City. Liverpool won that game after a penalty shootout. Minamino was part of the squad that won the EFL Cup in February 2022.

He also scored in the 2021–22 FA Cup in February 2022, helping Liverpool reach the quarter-finals. Liverpool went on to win the FA Cup in May 2022.

Moving to Monaco

On June 28, 2022, Monaco announced that Minamino had signed a four-year contract. He played in 12 matches during the first half of his first season, scoring one goal and assisting another.

In the 2023-2024 season, Minamino started playing regularly for Monaco under coach Adi Hütter. He provided an assist in the first game of the season. He scored two goals and assisted another in a home game against Strasbourg. He also scored with a header against FC Nantes. On Matchday 4 of Ligue 1, he set up a goal in Monaco's 3-0 win over Lens.

International Career for Japan

Youth Teams

Minamino played for Japan's U15 and U16 teams. He was called up for the 2010 AFC U-16 Championship. He scored three goals in the group stage and another in the quarter-finals. He was the top scorer in the tournament.

In 2011, he played for the Japan U-17 national team in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He scored one goal in that tournament. In 2014, he played for Japan U19 in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship. He scored four goals in that competition.

In January 2016, Minamino played for Japan U23 in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. He helped the team reach the final, which Japan won. In August 2016, he was part of the Japan U-23 team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He played all three matches and scored one goal.

Senior National Team

Minamino made his debut for the Japan national team in a friendly match against Iran on October 13, 2015. He made his second appearance in a FIFA World Cup qualification match in November 2015.

In August 2018, Minamino was called up to the senior national team again. He scored his first goal for Japan on September 11, 2018, against Costa Rica. He then scored against Panama and twice against Uruguay.

In December 2018, Minamino was chosen for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He made his Asian Cup debut in January 2019. He assisted two goals in the semi-final against Iran. He scored his first Asian Cup goal in the final against Qatar, but Japan lost the match. He played in 6 games during the tournament. He scored five more goals for Japan by the end of 2019.

How Takumi Minamino Plays

Minamino playing for Red Bull Salzburg 2018

At Salzburg, Minamino played in an attacking role where he could move freely. He was good at finding open spaces, making smart passes, and moving gracefully with the ball.

Even though he is not very big, his smaller size is an advantage. His low center of gravity means he can "run past players with ease."

Liverpool's manager, Jürgen Klopp, praised him a lot. Before Minamino joined Liverpool, Klopp said he was "classy" and "the best talent." After a game, Klopp also said Minamino was "everywhere" and "defends like a devil."

Personal Life

On January 14, 2014, Takumi Minamino set a Guinness World Record. He achieved the most high fives in a minute while running. He got 187 high fives at the Komagawa Shopping Street. Besides Japanese, he also speaks German because of his time playing in Austria.

His friends and teammates often call him "Taki," which is a nickname from his first name, Takumi.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Japan score listed first, score column indicates score after each Minamino goal.

List of international goals scored by Takumi Minamino

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	11 September 2018	Panasonic Stadium Suita, Suita, Japan	3	Costa Rica	2–0	3–0	2018 Kirin Challenge Cup
2	12 October 2018	Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan	4	Panama	1–0	3–0	2018 Kirin Challenge Cup
3	16 October 2018	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	5	Uruguay	1–0	4–3	2018 Kirin Challenge Cup
4					4–2
5	1 February 2019	Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	13	Qatar	1–2	1–3	2019 AFC Asian Cup
6	5 September 2019	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan	18	Paraguay	2–0	2–0	2019 Kirin Challenge Cup
7	10 September 2019	Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar	19	Myanmar	2–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	10 October 2019	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	20	Mongolia	1–0	6–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	15 October 2019	Central Republican Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan	21	Tajikistan	1–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
10					2–0
11	14 November 2019	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	22	Kyrgyzstan	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	13 November 2020	Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria	25	Panama	1–0	1–0	Friendly
13	30 March 2021	Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan	28	Mongolia	1–0	14–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	28 May 2021	Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan	29	Myanmar	1–0	10–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
15					7–0
16	7 June 2021	Panasonic Stadium Suita, Suita, Japan	30	Tajikistan	2–1	4–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	1 February 2022	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	37	Saudi Arabia	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	1 January 2024	Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	52	Thailand	5–0	5–0	Friendly
19	14 January 2024	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar	53	Vietnam	1–0	4–2	2023 AFC Asian Cup
20					2–2
21	11 June 2024	Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan	59	Syria	5–0	5–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
22	5 September 2024	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	60	China	3–0	7–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
23					4–0
24	15 November 2024	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia	64	Indonesia	2–0	4–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours and Awards

Red Bull Salzburg

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
• Austrian Cup: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19

Liverpool

• Premier League: 2019–20
• EFL Cup: 2021–22
• UEFA Champions League runner up: 2021–22

Japan U23

• AFC U-23 Asian Championship: 2016

Japan

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2019

Individual Awards

• J.League Rookie of the Year: 2013
• Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize's Rookie Award: 2013
• IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2020, 2022
• FA Cup Team of the Season: 2021–22
• Ligue 1 Fans' Team of the Season: 2023–24
• Monaco Player of the Season: 2023–24

Fun Facts About Takumi Minamino

On January 14, 2014, Takumi Minamino set a Guinness World Record! He achieved the record for the most high fives in one minute while running. He got 187 high fives at a shopping street in Japan.

Besides speaking Japanese, Minamino also speaks German. He learned it during his time playing for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

His friends and teammates often call him "Taki." This is a short and friendly nickname from his first name, Takumi.

See also

In Spanish: Takumi Minamino para niños