11.12.2019 - 11:00 | Source: Transfermarkt | Reading Time: 4 mins

Talents calendar

Jun Nishikawa: The new Kubo between high school and professional football

After Takefusa Kubo, one of the faces of the talents calendar in 2017, turned 18 this summer and moved to LaLiga as expected, there is a lack of young players in Japan that draw similar attention. From a Japanese point of view, Kubo is a “talent of the century” that was educated at Barcelona’s La Masia academy and delighted Spanish media with his strong language skills and a visible maturity for his age in Real Madrid’s preseason.

Kubo, Nishikawa & Co. The youngest players in the Japanese top tier Overview When he was forced to return to Japan, it has already been clear for Kubo that he will move back to Europe once he turns 18 and he limited his contract with FC Tokyo to that spell. A not so predefined path, Jun Nishikawa (photo), who is not only compared to Kubo because of his role on the pitch, has in front of him.

Stats J. Nishikawa Attacking Midfield Season 18/19 –

All competitions Games 4 Goals 0 Assists 2

Born in Kawasaki, Kubo’s hometown, as well, Nishikawa still attends local Toko Gakuen High School, from where he rose through the youth ranks of Yokohama F. Marinos. He became a talking point as a participant in the AFC U-16 Championship, where he won the final against Tajikistan and was awarded as the player of the tournament. This appreciation made Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen take notice, who invited the midfielder for a trial in Germany at the beginning of the year. A few months later, Nishikawa already played at the U-20 World Cup in Poland and also featured in all pre-tournament friendlies.

Nishikawa’s good vision for a final pass into space, his pace on the outside and his strong control of the ball, with which he beats opponents in international youth tournaments, are most eye-catching. Standing 1.80 metres tall, Nishikawa is already seven centimetres taller than Kubo, but - just like his fellow countryman - also has to bulk up to establish himself in the European top leagues.

Leverkusen’s invitation, who have a cooperation with Japanese second-tier club V-Varen Nagasaki for almost two years, caused a stir internationally, but a transfer is only possible from Nishikawa’s birthday in February onwards. Currently, he is under contract at Cerezo Osaka as an exceptionally assigned youth player and made two appearances in the league cup and one each in the Japanese top tier as well as for the club’s U-23 side in the third tier.

The system of “Special Designated Players” has been introduced in Japan in 1998 and allows for players from school or university teams to be integrated in a club team before signing a contract. In course of this, a club is obliged to involve the player in footballing activities such as training sessions and can therefore tie him down prematurely. For that, it is not common but possible that players already make the squad at the club without being under contract, while still being a student. The status of a “Special Designated Player” is limited until the end of the season and has to be renewed every year. Four hours from his home in Kawasaki with the fast train, this enables Nishikawa to pick up his first experiences as a professional footballer.

For the 2020 season, the former club of Shinji Kagawa already secured the services of the youngster and, unlike FC Tokyo, probably does not have to worry to lose their talent to a European top club immediately. Most recently there has been increased interest in Japanese players from smaller European leagues and at Sint-Truidense, a Japanese business group took over a majority in a Belgian top-tier club to develop talents like Takehiro Tomiyasu and sell them on for a profit. It will be exciting to see, when and where to Nishikawa will make the step to Europe.

By Japan data scout ConDrei

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