At Real Sociedad, the legend of Takefusa Kubo is turning into reality

Every great player has a tale about their youth; an origin story that goes hand-in-hand with any mention of their name.

For Takefusa Kubo, that would be scoring 74 goals for Barcelona’s youth academy… in 30 games.

Yet, after that, Kubo has been shrouded in the mystery of potential. Ever since clips first surfaced of the young winger embarrassing some of the world’s best defenders with lightning-quick feet after his later move to Real Madrid, the 22-year-old has played with the weight of expectation on his back.

Four years and four loan spells later, Kubo finally looks to have found his place.

Since joining Real Sociedad on a permanent deal at the start of last season, only Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata have scored more than his 11 non-penalty goals in La Liga.

He has started the current campaign with a flourish, too, scooping four consecutive player of the match awards before providing two assists for Japan during the international break.

After relegation scraps and frustrating spells on the sideline, he is now on a steady ascent in the Spanish game.

Despite the clamour around his name, Kubo never got the chance to play competitively for Real Madrid.

Two months after he arrived from FC Tokyo, the winger was sent on loan to recently promoted Mallorca, where he made a lasting impression with his unceasing enthusiasm to run at defences in the 2019-20 season.

GO DEEPER

Real Madrid’s defeat seen differently – the view from players’ families watching on

Still just 18, Kubo attempted more take-ons (140; 5.5 per game), created more open-play chances (29; 1.1 per game) and took more non-penalty shots (55; 2.1 per game) than any team-mate. His confidence and dynamism shone through during an otherwise miserable relegation campaign for the club.

After Mallorca’s immediate return to the second tier, Villarreal took a chance on Kubo in the 2020-21 season but he failed to make an impact. Under Unai Emery, he started two La Liga games, amassing 299 league minutes at an average of 23 minutes per appearance, and his loan was cut short by his parent club.

The second half of that season was spent at Getafe, where Kubo managed a goal and an assist as they narrowly avoided the drop, before a return to Mallorca the following campaign saw him unleashed upon La Liga full-backs once more. That convinced Real Sociedad, who paid €6.5million (£5.6m; $7m) in 2022, to take him off Real Madrid’s hands.

Since then, Kubo has taken up a markedly different role in Imanol Alguacil’s possession-based system.

No longer a sole source of match-winning magic for relegation-threatened sides, a touchline-hugger who would receive the ball and be left with others hoping he could do the rest, Kubo now finds himself in a swirling, flexible system, able to come deep or drift central for the ball as often as he likes.

For instance, while his final season for Mallorca saw him average 10.5 final-third passes per game, his first in San Sebastian saw 16.1, interchanging freely with the likes of David Silva and Brais Mendez during the build-up.

This extra time on the ball has allowed Kubo’s technical ability to shine through, revealing an elusive dribbler in tight spaces with an eye for a smart, defence-splitting pass.

Here against Celta Vigo for example, he is involved in a quick sequence of passes, ghosting inside into the position that striker Alexander Sorloth vacated before sliding a perfectly weighted ball through to Mikel Oyarzbal, who was denied by goalkeeper Ivan Villar.

For large parts of his first season at La Real, Kubo played almost as a second striker off 6ft 4in (193cm) striker Sorloth, where he was able to burst onto Sorloth’s flick-ons with electric pace but also happy to drop deep, collect the ball, and move it towards his strike partner.

Even in a side brimming with midfield technicians, Kubo was the player most involved in shot-ending sequences last season, contributing to around 4.3 per game.

Kubo is still a winger at heart, however, and relishes the opportunity to square up to a full-back with the ball at his feet. In a more possession-based side, his decision-making has been more varied.

Across his spells with Mallorca and Getafe, for example, 8.6 per cent of his dribbles included a take-on, while that figure has dropped to 7.4 per cent at La Real. With less pressure to make every touch of the ball count, Kubo can conserve his energy if the opportunity to dribble isn’t to his liking.

He much prefers to cut inside onto his stronger left foot, but Kubo has already shown signs this season of chopping onto his weaker side with more frequency.

For his side’s only goal of the game against Celta Vigo, for example, he controls a crossfield pass from Martin Zubimendi and runs at Manu Sanchez…

… before feigning to cut inside, dropping a shoulder and darting right, floating a lofted cross to the back post for Ander Barrenetxea to power home the header.

On his stronger side, Kubo’s output has dramatically increased since joining La Real, able to cut inside much more often with increased support from his team-mates.

Against Granada, he again receives the ball out on the right but catches his full-back in two minds, wary of the underlapping run of Hamari Traore.

As a result, Kubo has more time and space to shift the ball onto his left before curling an unstoppable effort into the far corner — a shot fast becoming his trademark finish.

Able to manufacture clearer efforts at goal with more frequency, Kubo’s finishing ability has been on a steady rise at his new club.

As the below graph shows, his tricky season at Villarreal and Getafe saw a sharp drop in his goalscoring performance, although his goals per game and expected goals (xG) per game figures have climbed considerably under Alguacil.

In that time, no La Liga player has over-performed their xG more than Kubo, scoring 5.5 more goals than the quality of his shots would suggest.

Not only is Kubo getting into more dangerous positions, but he’s also finishing more confidently than ever before.

There is no doubt Kubo is riding a wave at the start of the current season, but these performances are the fruits of four years of hard work under high pressure and not just good early-season form.

“I couldn’t fail anymore” he said in May, looking back on a successful first season at La Real, “because I knew that I was on the verge of people not wanting me.”

Still just 22 and with so much invaluable experience behind him, this is the real beginning of Takefusa Kubo’s career.

GO DEEPER

50 to watch – Takefusa Kubo: Real Sociedad’s flexible left-footed forward

(Top photo: Azael Rodriguez via Getty Images)