A generational footballing talent in the era of modern football, Takefusa started his footballing journey with the local clubs in Kawasaki. It did not take long for the young Samurai Blue to get his big break, as in 2009, Barcelona's youth camp was impressed by the Japanese and invited him to join the Barca's academy, La Masia, in 2011. However, the young winger had to face the biggest hurdle right after his big break as FIFA issues forced him to return to Japan in 2015, even after scoring 74 goals for the academy in one season. Kubo then joined FC Tokyo.
He had some of his greatest years during his stints at Tokyo U23 and Yokohama. Though very little is public on Kubo's family, it has always been clear that he comes from a family that believed, arguably the same as him on his dreams and passion. They are supportive of his career and decisions to this day.
He bounced back to European football after signing for Real Madrid back in 2019. He was moved to multiple clubs on loan spells to get some game time before finding his home in Real Sociedad.
As things stand, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are the closest admirers of the Japanese winger. However, the 60 million euro release clause complicates the deal. Moreover, Real Madrid's rights on the players complicate the deal even more, something that can be a dealbreaker for the potential clubs.
Generally plays as a right winger, Takefusa Kubo can also play as an attacking midfielder. However, his favorite is on the right-hand side, from where he can cut in to make a shot with his left. Yes, unlike the modern wingers who prefer cutting out to make a cross, Kubo prefers making a chance for himself after dribbling past the defenders from outside the box.
While it might seem like all the modern wingers play in a similar manner, it is far from the truth. And Takefusa Kubo is a living example of it. He dribbles with intent and makes sure the ball moves towards the goal as he does so, something that adds value to the team game.
Takefusa is known for his close control with the ball, along with quick dribbling and great vision. He particularly excels in the close spaces and draws in the defenders to himself to create space for his teammates, eventually passing the ball to them in open spaces. Moreover, his low center of gravity makes him very agile, which makes it even more difficult for the defenders to deal with him. It is these traits that made people refer to him as ‘Japanese Messi’ adorably.
However, by no means, the young Samurai Blue all about talent. He is one of the players in his national and club teams who has an exceptional work rate. And this is not something only seen in the training grounds, as you will see him track back for his club and international team to support his full-back, making him a complete winger.