Takefusa Kubo spent the summer of 2026 watching a World Cup he was supposed to light up. He started Japan's opening match against the Netherlands, took a challenge from Denzel Dumfries, limped off in the 75th minute and did not play again. For a player labelled "the Japanese Messi" before he was a teenager, it was a cruel way to spend the biggest stage of his career.
It also sharpened a question that has followed him for two seasons. The talent has never been in doubt. The body keeps interrupting it. At 25, with a Copa del Rey medal finally in his pocket, Kubo is at the point where the next twelve months will decide whether he becomes a genuine elite winger or stays a brilliant, frustrating "what if".
Kubo at a Glance
| Full name | Takefusa Kubo |
|---|---|
| Born | June 4, 2001, in Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Age | 25 |
| Height and weight | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), 148 lbs (67 kg) |
| Position | Right winger and attacking midfielder |
| Stronger foot | Left |
| Club | Real Sociedad, shirt number 14 |
| Contract | Until June 30, 2029, release clause of 60 million euros |
| Reported salary | About 100,000 euros a week (around 5.2 million euros a year before tax) |
| Estimated net worth | $15 million to $20 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
| Japan record | 49 caps, 7 goals (per the original figures) |
| Brother | Eiji Kubo, a professional footballer at Cerezo Osaka |
Seventy-Four Goals and a FIFA Ban
Kubo's legend started early. He joined Barcelona's La Masia academy in 2011 at the age of 10 and reportedly scored 74 goals in a single youth season. Then the system pulled the rug out. FIFA sanctioned Barcelona for breaking rules on signing underage international players, and in 2015 Kubo had to go home.
He did not sulk. Back in Japan he joined FC Tokyo and made his J.League debut at 15, becoming the youngest player to appear in the competition and later its youngest goalscorer. By the time he turned 18 he had already lived a full career arc that most players never experience.
Four Loans and No Bernabéu Debut
Real Madrid signed him in June 2019 for roughly 2.25 million euros. On paper it was a dream. In practice it became a tour of Spain's smaller grounds, because Kubo never played a first team game for Madrid. Instead he went out on loan four times:
- Mallorca, 2019/20
- Villarreal, first half of 2020/21
- Getafe, January to June 2021
- Mallorca again, 2021/22
Those years were uneven, but they gave him something valuable: hundreds of La Liga minutes against defenders who wanted to kick him. He also became fluent in Spanish, which helps explain why he settled so naturally once he finally found a permanent home.
San Sebastián, Where It Clicked
On July 19, 2022, Real Sociedad paid Madrid 6.5 million euros to sign him outright. Madrid kept a 50% sell-on clause on any future profit, a detail that still matters today.
The move worked almost at once. In 2022/23 he scored 9 goals and added 4 assists in 35 La Liga games, his best league return so far, and the season that persuaded Spanish football he was more than a highlights reel. Playing on the right and cutting inside onto that left foot, he became the player Real Sociedad build their attacks around.
The Numbers, Read Honestly
Kubo's raw totals are good rather than spectacular: over 237 club appearances, 34 goals and 19 assists. His 2024/25 campaign brought 7 goals and 4 assists in 52 games across all competitions. In 2025/26 he managed 2 goals and 4 assists in 24 La Liga appearances and 1,503 minutes.
That last line looks like a dip, and it is. But the minutes explain most of it. When he is fit, his dribbling and chance creation remain among the more dangerous in the league, and his value lies in the space he opens for others as much as in his own end product. The fair criticism is that a player this gifted should be turning more of that threat into goals.
He did get the reward that had eluded him, though. Real Sociedad won the Copa del Rey in 2025/26, his first major trophy as a professional.
A Body That Keeps Interrupting
The injury list is not catastrophic, but it is persistent:
- A muscle injury in April 2024
- An ankle problem in October 2025
- A hamstring injury in January 2026
- A left knee injury at the 2026 World Cup
None of these has threatened his career. Together, though, they have stopped him stringing together the kind of uninterrupted season that turns a good winger into a star.
One Night Against the Netherlands
Hajime Moriyasu named Kubo in Japan's 26 man squad for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and he was expected to be a central creative figure. The knee injury in the opener changed that. He missed the group games against Tunisia and Sweden, then the Round of 32 meeting with Brazil. Japan drew with the Dutch and reached the knockouts anyway, which says plenty about their depth, but it was a bitter personal summer.
What He Earns, and What We Estimate
His first Mallorca loan paid around 600,000 euros a year. His current Real Sociedad deal is reported at about 100,000 euros a week, roughly 5.2 million euros annually before tax, which would put him among the club's best paid players. No official figure has been published.
Icon Polls estimates his net worth at $15 million to $20 million, based on accumulated salary from Madrid, his loans and Real Sociedad, plus his commercial pull in Japan, where he is a major endorsement name. Treat that as an informed estimate, not a verified number.
Family, and a Private Life Kept Private
Kubo is not married and has never confirmed a relationship publicly. He keeps that side of his life private, and we will leave it there. His father, Takefumi Kubo, steered him toward football from a very young age, and his brother Eiji has followed him into the professional game with Cerezo Osaka.
The 60 Million Euro Question
Market valuations for Kubo sit at around 20 million to 30 million euros depending on the source, having passed 30 million euros at his 2023/24 peak. Icon Polls puts a realistic fee at 25 million to 35 million euros, given his age and long contract. Clubs in England and Germany have reportedly watched him, yet Real Sociedad have shown no interest in selling, the 60 million euro release clause is a serious barrier, and Madrid's sell-on share complicates any negotiation.
Our view: he is worth more to Real Sociedad fit than he is to anyone on the transfer market. A clean 2026/27 season would change every number above. Think he already belongs among the game's great technicians? Make your case in our vote for the best football players of all time.
Worth Asking
Why is Kubo called the Japanese Messi?
The nickname comes from his close control, his left foot and his childhood spell at La Masia, the academy that produced Lionel Messi.
Did he ever play for Real Madrid's first team?
No. He signed in 2019 but spent his entire Madrid contract on loan before joining Real Sociedad in 2022.
When does his Real Sociedad contract end?
June 30, 2029.
