Ko Itakura
{{short description|Japanese footballer (born 1997)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Kō Itakura
{{nobold|板倉 滉}}
| image = Kō Itakura - 板倉堰.jpg
| caption = Itakura with Vegalta Sendai in 2018
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|1|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Yokohama, Japan
| height = 1.88 m{{cite web |url=https://www.borussia.de/en/team/squad/ko-itakura |title=Kō Itakura |access-date=3 August 2022 |publisher=Borussia Mönchengladbach}}
| position = Centre-back, defensive midfielder
| currentclub = Borussia Mönchengladbach
| clubnumber = 3
| youthyears1 = 2006–2014
| youthclubs1 = Kawasaki Frontale
| years1 = 2015–2018
| clubs1 = Kawasaki Frontale
| caps1 = 7
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2015
| clubs2 = → J. League U-22 (loan)
| caps2 = 2
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2018
| clubs3 = → Vegalta Sendai (loan)
| caps3 = 24
| goals3 = 3
| years4 = 2019–2022
| clubs4 = Manchester City
| caps4 = 0
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2019–2021
| clubs5 = → FC Groningen (loan)
| caps5 = 56
| goals5 = 1
| years6 = 2021–2022
| clubs6 = → Schalke 04 (loan)
| caps6 = 31
| goals6 = 4
| years7 = 2022–
| clubs7 = Borussia Mönchengladbach
| caps7 = 75
| goals7 = 6
| nationalyears1 = 2013
| nationalteam1 = Japan U16
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2015–2017
| nationalteam2 = Japan U20
| nationalcaps2 = 8
| nationalgoals2 = 1
| nationalyears3 = 2018–2021
| nationalteam3 = Japan U23
| nationalcaps3 = 24
| nationalgoals3 = 6
| nationalyears4 = 2019–
| nationalteam4 = Japan
| nationalcaps4 = 37
| nationalgoals4 = 2
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Country|{{Fb|JPN}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Asian Games}}
{{Medal|S|2018 Jakarta-Palembang|Team}}
{{Medal|Competition|AFC U-19 Championship}}
{{Medal|G|2016 Bahrain|}}
| club-update = 17 May 2025
| nationalteam-update = 25 March 2025
}}
{{Nihongo|Kō Itakura|板倉 滉|Itakura Kō|born 27 January 1997}} is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as centre-back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach and the Japan national team.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/ko-itakura/ |title=Kō Itakura |website=WorldFootball.net |access-date=21 August 2021}}
Club career
In January 2019, Itakura joined Premier League club Manchester City and was immediately loaned to Eredivisie club Groningen, until the summer of 2020.{{cite news |title=Akkoord FC Groningen met Manchester City over Japanner Itakura|language=nl|url=https://www.fcgroningen.nl/nieuws/akkoord-fc-groningen-met-manchester-city-over-japanner-itakura/2 |access-date=14 January 2019 |website=FC Groningen |date=14 January 2019}} On 24 July 2020, his stay with Groningen was extended with one more year after both clubs agreed.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtvnoord.nl/nieuws/726203/Japanner-Ko-Itakura-jaar-langer-bij-FC-Groningen|title = Het nieuws uit Groningen|website=RTV Noord| date=24 July 2020|language=nl}}
On 19 August 2021, Itakura signed a season-long loan deal with 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 with an option to make the move permanent for £5 million.{{cite news|url=https://schalke04.de/en/team/ko-itakura-loan/|title=Kō Itakura joins Schalke on loan with an option to buy|website=FC Schalke 04|date=19 August 2021}} At the end of the season, he was promoted to the Bundesliga with Schalke, but the club did not activate the option due to financial reasons.{{cite news|url=https://schalke04.de/en/team/great-person-and-player-schalke-04-bid-farewell-to-ko-itakura/|title=Great person and player – Schalke 04 bid farewell to Kō Itakura|website=FC Schalke 04|date=31 May 2022}}
On August 19 2023, he scored his first goal in the Bundesliga against Augsburg, and on September 2, he scored a goal against Bayern Munich, which had the most wins and were the champions of the previous year.{{Cite web |title=Borussia unterliegt dem FC Bayern spät mit 1:2|url=https://www.borussia.de/de/aktuelles/news/news-detailansicht/2023-09-02-borussia-unterliegt-dem-fc-bayern-spaet-mit-12|url-status=dead|date=2 September 2023|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925164651/https://www.borussia.de/de/aktuelles/news/news-detailansicht/2023-09-02-borussia-unterliegt-dem-fc-bayern-spaet-mit-12|archive-date=25 September 2023}} On September 8th, he was selected as the team's MVP for August.{{Cite web|title=Itakura ist Borussias Spieler des Monats August|trans-title=Itakura named Borussia's Player of the Month for August |url=https://www.borussia.de/de/aktuelles/news/2023-09-08-itakura-ist-borussias-spieler-des-monats-august|url-status=dead|access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Borussia Mönchengladbach|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023050807/https://www.borussia.de/de/aktuelles/news/2023-09-08-itakura-ist-borussias-spieler-des-monats-august|archive-date=23 October 2023}}
International career
Itakura was selected for the senior Japan national football team for 2019 Copa América and made his debut on 20 June 2019 in the game against Uruguay, as a starter.{{cite web|publisher=CONMEBOL|url=http://estadisticas.conmebol.com/html/v3/index.html?channel=deportes.futbol.copaamerica.462521&lang=es_LA|title=Uruguay v Japan game report|date=20 June 2019}}{{Better source needed|date=December 2024}}
On March 29, 2021, he scored two goals against the Argentina national under-24 football team, and was also selected to represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing in 4th place.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-29 |title=Saison Card Cup 2021 |url=https://www.jfa.jp/national_team/u24_2021/20210329/match_page.html |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=Japan Football Association}}
In November 2022, he was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Japan National team for the first time.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=Samurai Blue (Japan National Team) squad - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ |url=http://www.jfa.jp/eng/news/00030869/}} Participated in all group stage matches and became the first Asian team to win first place in an overseas World Cup group league, contributing to advance to the final tournament for two consecutive tournaments. His long ball was the starting point of the come-from-behind goal against Germany. He was also named in the first group stage best eleven by Spanish Marca and Italian Sky Sport.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=Japan national team, Kō Itakura, followed by Spanish newspaper, Italian newspaper also selected as "Best Eleven" in World Cup Group League Round 1!(JP) |url=https://soccerhihyo.futabanet.jp/articles/-/95952?page=1}} The former named him one of the players to double his value in the World Cup and described him as "the most consistent performance of the entire tournament".{{Cite web |script-title=ja:杯で価値が倍増した日本代表DF「アグレッシブさと生読みで良い守備」スパイン紙が高評価|url=https://www.footballchannel.jp/2022/12/09/post488412/|website=Football Channel|date=9 December 2022|access-date=10 December 2024|language=ja}}
On March 28, 2023, he served as captain for the first time in the second match of the second term of Moriyasu Japan against Colombia.{{Cite web |title=Japan v Colombia game report |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/samuraiblue/20230328/match_page.html |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=Japan Football Association}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 17 May 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/J1-J3%E9%81%B8%E6%89%8B%E5%90%8D%E9%91%91%E3%83%8F%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E7%89%88-2018-NSK-MOOK/dp/4905411521|script-title=ja:J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)|publisher=Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing Inc.|date=7 February 2018|location=Japan|isbn=978-4905411529|language=ja}}{{Cite web|publisher=Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc.|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4905411424/|script-title=ja:2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)|date=8 February 2017|location=Japan|isbn=978-4905411420|page=28|language=ja}}{{Cite web|publisher=Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc.|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4905411335/|script-title=ja:2016J1&J2&J3選手名鑑|date=10 February 2016|location=Japan|isbn=978-4905411338|page=55|language=ja}}{{Soccerway|access-date=19 August 2023}}{{WorldFootball.net}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|National cup{{efn|Includes Emperor's Cup, KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal}} !colspan=2|League cup{{efn|Includes J.League Cup}} !colspan=2| Continental{{efn|Includes AFC Champions League}} !colspan=2 |Other{{efn|Includes J1 League Championship, Eredivisie European play-offs}} !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="4"|Kawasaki Frontale
|2015 |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2016
|J1 League |2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|– | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2017
|J1 League |5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | colspan=2|– | 15 | 1 | ||
| colspan=2|Total
!7||0||6||0||5||0||3||1||1||0||22||1 | ||||||||||||
| Vegalta Sendai (loan) | 2018
|J1 League |24 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 32 | 3 | ||
| Manchester City
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|– | 0 | 0 | ||
| rowspan="4"|Groningen (loan)
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20
|Eredivisie |22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 23 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21
|Eredivisie |34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |||
| colspan=2|Total
!56||1||2||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||1||0||59||1 | ||||||||||||
| Schalke 04 (loan)
|31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 32 | 4 | ||||
| rowspan="4"|Borussia Mönchengladbach
|24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24
|Bundesliga |20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | colspan=2|– | 22 | 3 | ||||
| 2024–25
|Bundesliga |32 | 4 | 2 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 34 | 5 | ||||
| colspan=2|Total
!76||7||5||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||81||8 | ||||||||||||
| colspan=3|Career total
!194||15||18||1||9||0||3||1||2||0||226||17 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|match played 25 March 2025}}{{NFT player}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals | ||
| rowspan="7"|Japan
|2019 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 |
| colspan="2"|Total||37||2 |
|---|
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.
| class="wikitable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Kō Itakura ! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition | ||||||
| align="center" | 1 | 28 May 2021 | Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan | {{fb|MYA}} | align="center" | 10–0 | align="center" | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| align="center" | 2 | 19 November 2024 | Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China | {{fb|CHN}} | align="center" | 2–0 | align="center" | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Kawasaki Frontale
Vegalta Sendai
- Emperor's Cup: runner-up 2018
Schalke 04
- 2. Bundesliga: 2021–22{{cite web|title=Schalke crowned 2021/22 Bundesliga 2 champions|url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/schalke-crowned-2021-22-bundesliga-2-champions-19963|website=Bundesliga|date=15 May 2022}}
Individual
- Tag Heuer Young Guns Award: 2018{{cite web |date=17 December 2018 |title=Kō Itakura 『Tag Heuer Young Guns Award』 |url=https://www.vegalta.co.jp/backnumber/2018/news/press_release/2018/12/post-6707.html|website=Vegalta}}
- Groningen Player of the Year: 2020–21{{Cite news |url=https://www.fcgroningen.nl/nieuws/itakura-office-centre-speler-van-het-jaar/ |title=Itakura Office Centre Speler van het Jaar |publisher=FC Groningen |lang=nl |date=2021-05-21 |access-date=2025-01-15}}
- Borussia's Player of the Month: August 2023
- {{ill|Japan Pro-Footballers Association Best XI|ja|日本プロサッカー選手会#JPFA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89}}: 2022, 2023, 2024{{cite web |title=JPFA 日本プロサッカー選手会 |url=https://www.j-pfa.or.jp/news/n-00000569/ |website=ニュース：JPFA 日本プロサッカー選手会 |access-date=4 January 2025 |language=ja}}
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2024{{cite web |url=https://iffhs.com/posts/4120 |title=IFFHS CONTINENTAL TEAMS 2024 - AFC MEN |publisher=IFFHS |date=2025-01-15 |access-date=2025-01-15}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{J.League player}}
- {{FIFA player}}
{{Borussia Mönchengladbach squad}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Japan squads
| bg = #0000C8
| fg = white
| bordercolor = red
| list1 =
{{Japan squad 2019 Copa América}}
{{Japan men's football squad 2020 Summer Olympics}}
{{Japan squad 2022 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Japan squad 2023 AFC Asian Cup}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list =
{{2022 JPFA Best XI}}
{{2023 JPFA Best XI}}
{{2024 JPFA Best XI}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Itakura, Ko}}
Category:Association football people from Kanagawa Prefecture
Category:Japanese men's footballers
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Kawasaki Frontale players
Category:J.League U-22 Selection players
Category:Vegalta Sendai players
Category:Manchester City F.C. players
Category:FC Schalke 04 players
Category:Borussia Mönchengladbach players
Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen
Category:2. Bundesliga players
Category:Japan men's youth international footballers
Category:Japan men's under-20 international footballers
Category:Olympic footballers for Japan
Category:Footballers at the 2018 Asian Games
Category:Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Asian Games silver medalists for Japan
Category:Asian Games medalists in football
Category:Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
Category:Japan men's international footballers
Category:2019 Copa América players
Category:2022 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2023 AFC Asian Cup players
Category:Japanese expatriate men's footballers
Category:Japanese expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England
Category:Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands