Cristiano Ronaldo hadn’t regarded this bewildered in a very long time. Maybe the final time was nonetheless in a Manchester United jersey. In April 2025, the celebrity stood on the pitch for a number of minutes, fully perplexed, after Al Nassr was eradicated within the semifinals of the AFC Champions League, speaking to himself.
He appeared to replay a number of match conditions in his thoughts, repeatedly shaking his head. The defeat visibly gnawed at him; the frustration was nearly palpable.
Why are we telling you about this once more, greater than half a 12 months later? As a result of the origin of this relatively weird scene lay within the excellent efficiency of a defender who might quickly trigger nice despair for the likes of Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy, and Deniz Undav within the Bundesliga.
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Borussia Mönchengladbach didn’t hesitate in 2026 and introduced the switch of Kōta Takai yesterday. The Japanese participant joins the Foals on mortgage and arrives with loads of advance reward.
With this switch, Gladbach has secured a younger, proficient central defender who not solely boasts spectacular bodily attributes but in addition outstanding soccer intelligence. The 21-year-old, who performed for Kawasaki Frontale within the J1 League till his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, has established himself in recent times as considered one of Japan’s most promising defensive gamers.
His most spectacular sport for Frontale was doubtless within the Asian Champions League towards Al Nassr’s staff of ageing stars. Takai strung collectively one clearance after one other, received practically 85 p.c of his duels, and repeatedly shone in build-up play. Japanese media later mentioned Takai had “Ronaldo and Mané in his pocket.”
📸 – – AFP or Licensors
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Now, on the Decrease Rhine, he needs to take the subsequent step in his profession.
Together with his 1.92 meters of peak and athletic construct, Takai brings the right bodily stipulations for a contemporary central defender. Off the ball, he impresses above all along with his proactive and aggressive model of play. He likes to intervene at simply the correct second, disrupt opponents, and win the ball with lightning-fast, well-timed tackles. This model of defending requires exact timing, which Takai has demonstrated a number of instances in his appearances thus far. In Japan, he primarily performed in a again 4, however he stands out above all for his nice tactical versatility—a trait his former coach at Kawasaki Frontale, Shigetoshi Hasebe, attested to in a press convention in April.
Nevertheless it’s not simply his defensive qualities that make Takai such an thrilling participant. With the ball at his toes, the Japanese additionally exhibits promising indicators. Significantly noteworthy are his exact diagonal balls in build-up play. As well as, Takai—very like his compatriot and former Gladbach participant Ko Itakura—likes to hold the ball ahead himself. We’re not speaking about solo runs into the opponent’s penalty space, however relatively managed ball development in urgent conditions or counter-movements towards intelligent urgent from strikers. By way of participant profile, he’s fairly much like Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, besides that he’s right-footed and at house on the correct aspect of central protection.
📸 Alex Davidson – 2024 Getty Photos
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Regardless of these qualities, Spurs agreed to a switch—and in keeping with ‘RP on-line,’ additionally to a purchase order choice in the summertime. That is primarily as a consequence of the truth that Takai hasn’t performed a single sport for Tottenham but. A foot damage throughout preseason prevented that, and the competitors in London is brutal. Thomas Frank can depend on 4 established central defenders with worldwide expertise: Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Radu Drăgușin, and Kevin Danso.
At Borussia Mönchengladbach, Takai now has the chance to develop additional in a aggressive surroundings and develop into a everlasting fixture within the protection. Up to now, the membership has repeatedly developed younger gamers efficiently, and Takai might be the subsequent success story on this line. Coach Eugen Polanski commented very positively on the switch: “His profile is excellent. However he’s nonetheless a younger participant, coming from a unique tradition. He hasn’t performed for a very long time as a consequence of accidents. He has high quality, however hasn’t gotten into rhythm for half a 12 months. We have to actually get to know him now.”
If Gladbach’s teaching workers needs some first-hand impressions, they may all the time ask Al Nassr—and particularly Cristiano Ronaldo.
This text was translated into English by Synthetic Intelligence.
📸 Yasser Bakhsh – 2025 Getty Photos