Reviving Real Madrid's 'Japanese Messi': Kubo chasing Olympic glory after miserable La Liga loan spells

Last summer, following an occasionally exhilarating debut season in La Liga on loan at Real Mallorca, expectations were high for Real Madrid youngster Takefusa Kubo.

Though Mallorca were relegated in 2019-20, Kubo had become one of their standout players over the course of the campaign, and despite not being deemed ready to return to Santiago Bernabeu, he was placed at Europa League aspirants, and eventual winners, Villarreal.

Unfortunately, by the time Unai Emery and his Yellow Submarine got their hands on the trophy, Kubo was long gone.

The Japan international's loan was a total failure, and in January, Madrid recalled him and shuffled him to nearby Getafe instead.

It did not work out there, either, and it leaves Kubo in an awkward position ahead of next season.

But first come the Olympic Games in Tokyo, a potential springboard for Kubo to prove to the world his career has not stalled at the age of 20.

He is the poster boy of the Japanese Olympic men's football team, and is out to stun the likes of Brazil, Spain and Argentina on home soil, and perhaps new Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti too.

"I'm going to the Olympics with the intention of winning,” said Kubo earlier in July. “I don't think that winning will close the gap between Japan and the world. However, I think that winning will be an appeal to the world, both for me and as a team.

"I want us to have a tournament that will surprise the world.”

Getty/Goal

Unfortunately for Kubo, his whole career has been stop-start, not just last season.

He came through at Barcelona after joining from Kawasaki Frontale in 2011, and was labelled 'The Japanese Messi' for his wand of a left foot. 

However, Barca's FIFA-imposed punishment for breaking underage transfer regulations in 2014 rendered Kubo ineligible for further matches with the Catalans.

He left, for FC Tokyo, where he worked his way into the first team, making his debut at 15, with his performances earning him what would be the first of a record four appearances on Goal's NXGN list of the world's top teenage talents.

That is when Real Madrid pounced to bring him back to Spain, reportedly beating Barcelona to the punch, before Los Blancos loaned him to Mallorca to earn some Liga experience.

“Kubo is starting to justify all the media attention his return to Spain generated,” wrote La Vanguardia in March 2020. “The Japanese (forward), aesthetic to watch and striking from the first moment he touches a ball in a game, has won his place to become one of the main arguments for Mallorca to survive in the top flight.

“At 18, he’s involved in moves that sometimes seem more like cartoons, with dribbles that recall players of far greater experience and status in La Liga. He takes on mazy dribbles, crossing the entire pitch with the ball sewn to his left foot.”

Villarreal looked to be the step-up he was calling for, but despite reports he arrived as an Emery petition to the board, the coach quickly left him on the sidelines.

“He is conscious that he has a challenge, that of being the first Japanese player who reaches the top level, and there are many people that want that to be the case and want to accelerate the process,” Emery told AS in October.

“But that acceleration is not good, he should adapt and grow to compete in more positions (on the pitch). I understand the media noise, he is a star off the pitch, but he should be one on it too.”

He wasn’t, on Spain’s east coast, with no goals or assists in La Liga and only two starts, with most of his appearances frustratingly short cameos from the bench.

Kubo himself wanted to leave and Real Madrid were happy to set up a new loan deal so their talent could keep progressing.

“He was looking for a way out because he plays less than he thinks he has to play,” explained Emery. "He still lacks things, but he has the potential to continue growing, with patience and by getting more playing minutes and experience.”

However, Getafe, his next destination did not work out either, although there was a happy ending. Kubo scored his first goal of the season in a 2-1 win over Levante, in their penultimate game, to keep the Madrid side in La Liga.

Kubo picked up the ball 40 yards from goal, drove forward and lashed into the top corner from the edge of the box, celebrating with all his pent-up frustration.

“In the end, Kubo’s style always stood out for how different it was to that of Jose Bordalas (the coach),” Marca reporter Juancar Navacerrada tells Goal. “He left a good taste in the mouth with the goal that helped Getafe guarantee survival with a week to go, but yes, it’s true, his time at the Coliseum was very inconsistent.

"He had good moments, but in a general idea and dynamic that was very negative for him.”

Already dragged from his low ebb by that strike, the Olympics can propel Kubo further onwards. Expectations are rising in Japan for the tournament, with Maya Yoshida, Wataru Endo and Hiroki Sakai the overage players to have been included, while Kubo, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ritsu Doan are also full internationals.

Back in his homeland, Kubo may now be capable of returning to his electric best. He set up Ritsu Doan for Japan’s goal against Spain in a 1-1 friendly draw ahead of the Games, and was his team’s most impressive performer.

Unfortunately with no fans allowed inside stadiums at the Olympics as Tokyo remains in a state of emergency because of Covid-19, they cannot will him on in person. 

Kubo knows the support is there, though, with Japan desperate to win a men's football medal for the first time since they took bronze in Mexico City, in 1968. Changing that could also change his own future.

Along with newly-promoted Mallorca, Real Sociedad have been linked with a loan deal for him post-Games, and after seeing Martin Odegaard progress quickly in San Sebastian, it is an attractive option for both Kubo and Madrid.

The first aim, though, is to return to Valdebebas with an Olympic medal, and then work out his next step.