BarcelonaThe story of Takefusa Kubo (Kawasaki, Japan, 2001) began thanks to a brochure he saw in his country, when he was only eight years old. It stated that the best player at a summer camp would play a tournament with Barça. Just seeing him, he was excited by the opportunity and pushed himself to achieve it. So, almost a year later, he was selected as a member of the club’s school and participated in a tournament held in Belgium, accompanied by his family.
Having turned 10 a few months earlier, he changed continents and cultures to pursue his dream of being a footballer. A test at La Masia was enough for the Blaugrana club to see the potential of a player who was called to do important things. Kubo arrived at Barça’s base football two years after marveling at the summer camp that opened the eyes of the club’s coaches.
Àlex Gómez was Kubo’s first coach in Barcelona. The coach points out to ARA the competitiveness of the Japanese from the day he arrived: “The desire he had to succeed in the world of football was very great. He was aware that Barça had given him a unique opportunity and from the first training until the last one was 200%. There were no breaks, there was no calm, he always went to the limit of his possibilities, both in matches and in training.”
In his first full season at the club in 2012-13, he already proved what was expected of him: he was the league’s top scorer with 74 goals in 30 games. Some scandalous numbers that only reaffirmed the success of signing the young Japanese promise. Thus, every year he moved up the ranks within the club’s grassroots football, from youth to youth, but only four years later he received the worst possible news: he could not play with Barça again until he reached the age of majority of age
FIFA sanctioned the club for several transfers of underage players, including Kubo. These footballers could no longer play with the club again until they turned 18, and for this fact Kubo had to leave Barcelona so that his football career would not stop, after being a whole year without playing, and he pack your bags for Japan. When he made his debut in the Japanese First Division, at the age of 15, he did not hide that he wanted to return to Barcelona once he came of age.
The return of Kubo
After turning 18 and speculating about a possible return to Barça, as he would have liked, the Blaugrana club’s refusal to pay him close to a million euros in a fee made him go to the eternal rival , Real Madrid. Kubo, however, has never played for the white team and has left on loan every year without finishing his exploits. Mallorca, Villarreal, Getafe and Mallorca in a second stage is the history of the player. Now, the Real Sociedad is the Japanese’s next stop.
“Kubo has spent many years imbibing the style of La Masia and he also needs a certain freedom from three quarters forward. I think that some clubs have not given him, especially Villarreal, as they do not suit him know how to find a place”, explains Àlex Gómez. Villarreal was the worst experience for the player: he arrived on loan in the summer market and in the winter he already had to leave for Getafe, and played just a few minutes under Emery. “I am convinced that he will find his place at Real Sociedad, because it is a team that plays quite daringly, they must give him some freedom of creation”, concludes Gómez.
From Real there were doubts about the player’s condition, since the precedents were not very good. But they disappeared immediately: Kubo has been very involved since day one, he has fit in very well with the team, and the coach, Imanol Alguacil, is delighted with him. In addition, the team from Donostia is also delighted in the commercial aspect, since with Kubo in its ranks it is having a lot of impact in Japan.
L’etapa is Mallorca
Luis García Plaza was the Japanese coach in his second spell in Mallorca. For those who have lived through both stages of Kubo, Plaza found himself a different, more mature player. The current coach of Alabès thinks that Real Sociedad is the perfect team for this player: “It is a team that suits his characteristics very well, as he tries to have the ball, dominate… Hopefully it’s the perfect club for him to just explode. I was with him for almost a year and I was very happy to have worked with him,” the Madrid coach explains to ARA.
Madrid has decided to change the mode of operation with Kubo’s operations and has sold 50% of the player’s rights to Real Sociedad. The Japanese will play his second game with the Donostia club precisely against Barça. The Japanese has started on a very good foot in his new destination, and after giving his team victory in the first match against Cadiz with a great goal, he will try to prove, again and after several years, that the Blaugrana club he was wrong not to re-sign him after he marveled at Barcelona when he was just over 10 years old.
