Are you watching Ancelotti? Real Madrid star Kubo lighting up the Olympics
Robin Bairner
- 28 Jul 2021 14:20 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid youngster Takefusa Kubo is rapidly establishing himself as one of the stars of the Olympic football tournament – and surely playing his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s plans at the Bernabeu.
Kuba has led Japan through to the quarter-finals of the competition, scoring in all three matches as Japan recorded wins over South Africa, Mexico and France to ease through as group winners.
But the 20-year-old winger has not limited himself to simply finding the net, he also had a strong hand in Japan’s second against the French thanks to a fine pass over the top of the defence that made the strike possible.
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Kubo waiting for La Liga breakthrough
Kubo has yet to enjoy his coming of age in Spain since he moved west from Tokyo FC in 2019 on a five-year contract.
He was expected to join Real Madrid as a ‘B’ team player but quickly established himself on the fringes of the first team. While regular football was not possible at the Bernabeu, though, he was shunted out on loan successively to La Liga rivals Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe.
Kubo did show some promise with Mallorca, where he scored four times in 35 outings for an ultimately relegated side, but he struggled to build on that with Villarreal last term. While he impressed in the Europa League, notching three assists and a goal, his loan deal was cut short due to a lack of Primera Division minutes.
He got those at Getafe, where he featured 18 times, albeit often as a substitute, and scored the goal against Levante that secured the side’s place in La Liga for 2021/22.
Kubo, meanwhile, will have caught the eye of Ancelotti with his performances at the Olympics. He has been decisive for his side in all three matches to date – notably scoring the opening goal on each occasion.
Of course, the Primera Division is a significant step up from the Olympic football tournament, but with Real Madrid short on money to strengthen their ranks, it would be remiss of them to ignore a player high in confidence and clearly right in form.
