Takuma Asano Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 8 in |
Weight | 71 kg |
Date of Birth | November 10, 1994 |
Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Takuma Asano is a Japanese professional soccer player who has represented, as a winger/forward, Sanfrecce Hiroshima (2013-2016) in Japan, FK Partizan (2019-2021) in Serbia, and VfL Bochum (2021-Present) in Germany. Between 2014 and 2015, he also played 3 matches, during a loan spell, for the now-defunct team called J.League U-22 Selection which used to ply its trade in the J3 League, the third division of the Japanese professional soccer league system. Between 2016 and 2019, he was contracted to English giants Arsenal F.C. but could not play a single game for the club as he was refused a work permit to play in England. Hence, during this period, he was loaned out to the German professional soccer clubs VfB Stuttgart (2016-2018) and Hannover 96 (2018-2019). With Sanfrecce Hiroshima, he won the J1 League (the top division of the Japanese professional soccer league system) title in 2013 and 2015; and the Japanese Super Cup in 2013, 2014, and 2016. The latter trophy is annually decided by a one-off match that is played between the winners of the J1 League and the Emperor’s Cup (the premier domestic knockout soccer competition in Japan). With VfB Stuttgart, he won the 2. Bundesliga (the 2nd division of the German professional soccer league system) title in the 2016–17 season. The title meant that the club was promoted to the Bundesliga (the top division of the German professional soccer league system) for the next season. At the international level, Takuma represented Japan at the under-23 tier before making his senior national debut in 2015.
Born Name
Takuma Asano
Nick Name
The Jaguar
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Komono, Mie Prefecture, Kansai, Honshu, Japan
Residence
Japan
Nationality
Education
Takuma had attended the Yokkaichi Chuo Technical High School in Yokkaichi, a city located in Mie Prefecture.
Occupation
Professional Soccer Player
Family
- Mother – Toshiko Asano
- Siblings – Yuya Asano (Younger Brother) (Professional Soccer Player). He has 4 other brothers and a sister.
Shirt Number
- 19, 18, 16, 15 – Japan
- 29, 10 – Sanfrecce Hiroshima
- 11, 14 – J.League U-22 Selection
- 11 – VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, FK Partizan
- 10, 11 – VfL Bochum
Playing Position
Winger, Forward
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
71 kg or 156.5 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Japanese descent.
Hair Color
Black
He often tends to dye his hair light brown, silver, or blonde.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Slightly overgrown, side-parted hair
- Cheerful smile
- Clean-shaven look
Takuma Asano Facts
- In 2015, Takuma was honored with the ‘J.League Rookie of the Year’ award. The award has been presented annually, since 1993, by J.League, the organization that constitutes and runs the top 3 divisions of the Japanese professional soccer league system.
- He was a key member of the Japanese squad that won the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Under-23 Championship in 2016. This was just the 2nd edition of the tournament after the inaugural edition was held in 2013 and Japan won this title for the first time. Takuma scored 2 goals (including the winning goal in the 81st minute) in the final match of the tournament, against South Korea, to give his side a 3–2 win.
- Later that year, he also represented Japan at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. He scored 2 goals in the tournament but Japan crashed out in the group stage.
- In August 2019, he became the first Japanese player ever to have represented the Belgrade-based Serbian professional soccer club FK Partizan.
- In November 2022, he scored the winning goal (in the 83rd minute) in Japan’s sensational 2-1 victory over 4-time champions Germany in the teams’ opening group-stage encounter of the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup. This was only Japan’s 6th win in their 22nd match in the FIFA World Cup (having first participated in the competition in the 1998 edition) and certainly their greatest – having previously beaten Russia and Tunisia in 2002; Cameroon and Denmark in 2010; and Colombia in 2018.
Featured Image by Takuma Asano / Instagram