Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
Kubo says he had the chance to join Real Sociedad before he eventually did and was a fan of the possession-based football developed by coach Imanol Alguacil. What held him back were doubts about how he might be received at a club with such a strong Basque identity, but those worries evaporated once he signed, the Real Sociedad website greeting him with the headline “He is finally here” and the entire community soon showing its affection.
Indeed, one of the top viral videos in Spanish football this season featured a young boy approaching the La Real bench during a Copa del Rey game and asking Kubo for his shirt. After being given and trying on the oversize No14 jersey, the boy later returns to the bench to hand Kubo a bag of popcorn as thanks, explaining to his idol that it’s “for the bus ride home”.
Club and player quickly warmed to each other, and if Kubo says he feels part of the Real Sociedad family off the pitch, that has radiated in his performances on it. The left-footed livewire managed just six La Liga goals across his three years shuffling around Spain on loan; he raced to 15 in his first season and a half at the Reale Arena. “It’s one of the greatest feelings you experience,” he says. “The feeling you get when you make everyone happy is something only the goalscorer really understands.”
Kubo’s game is about far more than goals, however. “He silenced the stadium every time he entered the play and looked like a wasp stinging all over the pitch,” wrote Noticias de Gipuzkoa after the so-called ‘Japanese Messi’ was named Player of the Match in La Real’s 1-0 Champions League group stage victory at Benfica. Alongside Ander Barrenetxea on the opposite flank, Kubo creates danger in attack, with his pace and dribbling making him a nightmare for defenders. He has taken a huge step forward this season, and the Real Sociedad faithful are determined to enjoy him while they can.
That goes for his playful personality as much as his talent. Kubo’s cheeky side is part of what makes him a joy to watch, and it was fully on display after he scored in a 3-0 derby defeat of Athletic Club last September. Sprinting towards the corner flag, he pulled up in apparent pain, holding the back of his thigh with a grimace – only to jut out his rear and twerk. Kubo later explained that team-mate Aritz Elustondo had bet he didn’t have the courage to try the dance as a celebration. The defender was not the first to underestimate him, or perhaps he was engaging in a nifty bit of reverse psychology. Either way, Kubo’s colleagues were left in fits of laughter. As they are pretty much every day.
Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
Kubo says he had the chance to join Real Sociedad before he eventually did and was a fan of the possession-based football developed by coach Imanol Alguacil. What held him back were doubts about how he might be received at a club with such a strong Basque identity, but those worries evaporated once he signed, the Real Sociedad website greeting him with the headline “He is finally here” and the entire community soon showing its affection.
Indeed, one of the top viral videos in Spanish football this season featured a young boy approaching the La Real bench during a Copa del Rey game and asking Kubo for his shirt. After being given and trying on the oversize No14 jersey, the boy later returns to the bench to hand Kubo a bag of popcorn as thanks, explaining to his idol that it’s “for the bus ride home”.
Club and player quickly warmed to each other, and if Kubo says he feels part of the Real Sociedad family off the pitch, that has radiated in his performances on it. The left-footed livewire managed just six La Liga goals across his three years shuffling around Spain on loan; he raced to 15 in his first season and a half at the Reale Arena. “It’s one of the greatest feelings you experience,” he says. “The feeling you get when you make everyone happy is something only the goalscorer really understands.”
Kubo’s game is about far more than goals, however. “He silenced the stadium every time he entered the play and looked like a wasp stinging all over the pitch,” wrote Noticias de Gipuzkoa after the so-called ‘Japanese Messi’ was named Player of the Match in La Real’s 1-0 Champions League group stage victory at Benfica. Alongside Ander Barrenetxea on the opposite flank, Kubo creates danger in attack, with his pace and dribbling making him a nightmare for defenders. He has taken a huge step forward this season, and the Real Sociedad faithful are determined to enjoy him while they can.
That goes for his playful personality as much as his talent. Kubo’s cheeky side is part of what makes him a joy to watch, and it was fully on display after he scored in a 3-0 derby defeat of Athletic Club last September. Sprinting towards the corner flag, he pulled up in apparent pain, holding the back of his thigh with a grimace – only to jut out his rear and twerk. Kubo later explained that team-mate Aritz Elustondo had bet he didn’t have the courage to try the dance as a celebration. The defender was not the first to underestimate him, or perhaps he was engaging in a nifty bit of reverse psychology. Either way, Kubo’s colleagues were left in fits of laughter. As they are pretty much every day.
Whenever Takefusa Kubo walks into the Real Sociedad dressing room, his team-mates invariably smile. Sooner or later, they know, all of them will be laughing. They might not know why, but whenever the Japanese winger is around, laughter is pretty much guaranteed. After playing for four clubs in three seasons, ‘Take’ is letting his sense of humour shine through these days, and that comes from finally feeling settled.
“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.
