Player to watch – Takefusa Kubo

Immense regret, frustration and disappointment. Today we’ll be facing a boy that had everything to succeed at the Camp Nou, but that horrible decisions from the board prevented that from happening: Take Kubo, on loan from Madrid at Mallorca.

When he was young, Take shone in Japan and also in different tournaments and even football campus organised by FC Barcelona. It was Òscar Hernández, former youth coach at La Masía, who spotted his talent at Fukoka’s FCB Escola and made it clear that the bright kid had to move to Catalonia. In August 2011, Kubo joined La Masía and proved what he was capable of in Marc Serra’s magical and golden 12/13 Alevín A. That season, the Japanese wonderkid scored 73 goals in 29 games, which is the record for most goals scored in a single campaign at Barça’s Alevín A.

His best friend on and off the pitch was none other than Ansu, Ansu Fati. Nevertheless, the 2014 FIFA ban made Take ineligible to play for Barcelona, and Kubo had to return to his home country. This summer, after standing out in the J-League, Barça had the opportunity to bring him back to Spain. But the board wasn’t willing to move a finger for him.

Òscar Hernández himself recently said the following: “Real Madrid were the club that bet the most on him in all aspects. The economic terms matter, especially in humble families, but they also made a sporting plan with progression in the reserves and first team. Barça were very far from that plan. Barça’s offer was very low. He had offers from 6 other European clubs, some of which offering him even more money, but he knew the language already and that was decisive”. Los Blancos ended up buying Kubo.

The coaching staff at La Masía envisagated Take to define an era at the club. Joan Vilà, ex-director of Methodology at the academy, also expressed that “the whole Kubo episode was the biggest mistake Barcelona have made in many years”. Take, who left Barça in tears in 2015, will be returning home this evening, but with a different shirt.