Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
“The team has a very homely atmosphere,” is how he describes the vibe within the Basque outfit, where he has played with freedom and confidence since joining in July 2022. “It feels like a family. That’s something which every player says but, for me, this team is different to other teams. It feels even more like a real family here.”
That’s true in a very literal sense too, given that Kubo’s younger brother Eiji plays in Real Sociedad’s youth ranks. Together with their mother, they live in the centre of San Sebastian, where Kubo enjoys going for quiet strolls around the city – despite his status as a fan favourite. There are few places on Earth which share the same passion for their local team, but Basques tend to place a high value on respect. Footballers are people too and, in San Sebastian, they remember that better than most, allowing their stars to enjoy normal lives.
Of course, ‘normal’ is a bit of a misnomer for Kubo’s life so far. The 22-year-old was only ten when he left not only his home country but an entire continent, bidding farewell to Kawasaki in Japan to join Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. Quickly dubbed a wonderkid, he was singled out as a hot prospect before reaching his teens, and by the time he returned to Japan at the age of 14 – a FIFA-imposed sanction having made him ineligible to play for Barcelona – he was practically a household name back home.
Many teenagers would have felt daunted by that pressure, but not Kubo. “I didn’t feel any pressure at all because I don’t play football to meet anyone’s expectations of me,” he says. Away from the pitch, however, he admits that his early fame had drawbacks. “I don’t like getting attention for anything other than football, so when I was in middle school and high school, I just wanted people to leave me alone.”
Luckily for him, he kept the focus on his sporting ability with eye-catching feats for FC Tokyo, not least becoming the youngest player to score in the J-League when still only 15. “I ran like a madman after I scored, but my mind had gone completely blank,” he recalls of that landmark goal, the first of several before he jetted back to Spain at the age of 18. This time, Real Madrid was his destination, though he never got to represent the capital club in a competitive game, spending his three years on their books in various loan deals: at Mallorca, Villarreal, Getafe and then Mallorca again.
Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
“The team has a very homely atmosphere,” is how he describes the vibe within the Basque outfit, where he has played with freedom and confidence since joining in July 2022. “It feels like a family. That’s something which every player says but, for me, this team is different to other teams. It feels even more like a real family here.”
That’s true in a very literal sense too, given that Kubo’s younger brother Eiji plays in Real Sociedad’s youth ranks. Together with their mother, they live in the centre of San Sebastian, where Kubo enjoys going for quiet strolls around the city – despite his status as a fan favourite. There are few places on Earth which share the same passion for their local team, but Basques tend to place a high value on respect. Footballers are people too and, in San Sebastian, they remember that better than most, allowing their stars to enjoy normal lives.
Of course, ‘normal’ is a bit of a misnomer for Kubo’s life so far. The 22-year-old was only ten when he left not only his home country but an entire continent, bidding farewell to Kawasaki in Japan to join Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. Quickly dubbed a wonderkid, he was singled out as a hot prospect before reaching his teens, and by the time he returned to Japan at the age of 14 – a FIFA-imposed sanction having made him ineligible to play for Barcelona – he was practically a household name back home.
Many teenagers would have felt daunted by that pressure, but not Kubo. “I didn’t feel any pressure at all because I don’t play football to meet anyone’s expectations of me,” he says. Away from the pitch, however, he admits that his early fame had drawbacks. “I don’t like getting attention for anything other than football, so when I was in middle school and high school, I just wanted people to leave me alone.”
Luckily for him, he kept the focus on his sporting ability with eye-catching feats for FC Tokyo, not least becoming the youngest player to score in the J-League when still only 15. “I ran like a madman after I scored, but my mind had gone completely blank,” he recalls of that landmark goal, the first of several before he jetted back to Spain at the age of 18. This time, Real Madrid was his destination, though he never got to represent the capital club in a competitive game, spending his three years on their books in various loan deals: at Mallorca, Villarreal, Getafe and then Mallorca again.
Marching alongside 4,000 other Real fans to the Stade de Gerland for my first away game in Europe was a truly unique experience. Children, families, mothers, grandparents – we were all Real fans together, and as we walked we chanted our favourite songs, creating an atmosphere charged with emotion. Locals couldn’t believe how many of us there were.
I’ve been a Real Sociedad fan since the day I was born. In fact, we were playing Real Betis as I was born. My dad gave me a Real teddy bear that day and I’ve still got it. Every time I see that stuffed bear, I think of my love for the team and the special synchronicity we shared from the very beginning. Aupa Erreala!
But back to the match. Antoine Griezmann, our home-grown hero, gave us the lead with a bicycle kick – I jumped out of my seat to celebrate and landed four rows in front. Then Haris Seferović matched that with a spectacular goal of his own, meeting a bouncing ball with an unstoppable shot from distance.
I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted to prolong that cloud of happiness and savour every last magical moment. The thought of victory and qualification for the Champions League was overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to attend both matches, the first leg at the storied Gerland and the second leg eight days later at our home, Anoeta. We won that 2-0 as well thanks to Carlos Vela’s second-half double, sealing the club’s return to Europe’s elite after a decade in the wilderness.
It was a momentous milestone and that achievement meant much more than just participating in the competition; it was proof of the team’s progress and resilience. For us fans, it meant Real Sociedad could test themselves against the best clubs in Europe again, with a team full of home-grown players. It was the result of so many years of hard work and it reinforced our pride and identity, generating a renewed sense of hope and aspirations for the future.
