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Takumi Minamino's early life, childhood and career in Japan
Takumi never let go of the ball once he had it!
Takumi Minamino(南野 拓実 in kanji) was born in Izumisano, Osaka in 1995. His parents named him Takumi, meaning pioneer and fruitful by himself. Takumi has an older brother, three years older than him, with whom he started playing and kicking a ball. He started playing soccer seriously in kindergarten and joined a club team called Zessel Kumatori.
After entering elementary school, Takumi continued to practice three times a week at Zessel. Zessel's menu focused mainly on individuals, and he honed his dribbling, feinting, and shooting. During weekend practice matches, he loved the game so much that he hated to be replaced.
Furthermore, in elementary school, Takumi never let go of the ball once he had it. In one game, he would dribble from the moment the whistle blew for kickoff and score a goal past all of the opposing team's players. He was very conscious not only of scoring, but also of protecting his own goal. Whenever there was a penalty shootout at a local youth soccer tournament, Takumi would say, "I'll stop all the kickoffs," and he would be the goalkeeper.
Takumi's dream of becoming a soccer player was first sparked when he saw a World Cup match. At only 3 years old, he was captivated by the virtuosity of the world's superstars and fascinated by the game of soccer. He continued to watch videos and hone his skills in practice, hoping to play brilliantly.
Takumi talked about those days: "My idol at the 1998 France tournament was Ronaldo, a former member of the Brazilian national team. I remember well the goal he scored against the Netherlands in the semifinals. Michael Owen, who was called Wonder Boy, was also great. By 2002, when I was seven years old, I already wanted to play for Japan."
Takumi had a strong yearning for the world stage and pursued a high level from an early stage. As a third grader he also joined the Coerver Coaching Soccer School. He attended twice a week while playing for Zessel along with his childhood friend Cheng Muroya (playing for Hannover in Germany from 2020). The school specializes in honing one-on-one skills on the futsal court, and it was here that Minamino also learned a number of techniques.
According to Mr. Maruno, who was the coach at the time, his first impression of Takumi was that he was a kid who hated to lose. Takumi showed an absolute unwillingness to lose when it came to competition, and he gave 100% effort. Furthermore, what made Takumi different from other kids was that when the ball was taken away from him, he would give 100% effort to get it back. There are many kids who hate to lose, but the players who can go up there can give 100% on defense after the attack. His attitude of really wanting to win and score was outstanding.
At the end of each month, the school students play against the coaches, and Mr. Maruno says he will never forget Takumi at that time. Takumi was so determined not to lose to the coaches that he went all out to beat them because the winning team would have their picture on display. One of Minamino's signature plays today is the "scissors" (straddle feint), the basis of which he learned at Coerver.
Takumi talked about those days, "At that time, I was like Ronaldo, and I used to do scissors and double scissors a lot. At Coover, I gained a lot of skill on my feet. I am grateful to my parents for allowing me to go to all the schools I wanted to go to. My parents took me to and from school every day, and although it must have cost a lot of money, they never told me how hard it was. It makes me realize that I wasn't able to play soccer on my own."
Takumi's skills were steadily improving, but his team, Zessel, was unable to go to the national tournament. His team played a strong Avanti Kansai team and lost 1-2. In this match Takumi scored a goal after an own goal, but lost. He was also the team captain and cried in frustration.
Takumi decided to go on to Cerezo Osaka U-15 in junior high school. He received an invitation from a scout and decided to knock on the door of the professional reserve team without hesitation. When he first joined the team, he was small in stature and his skills were not particularly superior to those of his teammates.
However, he was a competitive player beyond compare. Perhaps because of his nature as a forward from a young age, he did not pass the ball to his teammates, but instead, he was determined to score a goal. His appetite for scoring goals grew stronger and stronger as he got older, from the second year of junior high school to the third year. From the second year of junior high school, he grew taller and bigger, and his sense of smell in front of the goal was sharpened. For his goal scoring ability, Takumi was selected for Japan's U-17 World Cup team in June 2011.
In 2013, 18-year-old Takumi was promoted to Cerezo Osaka's first team and was selected for the starting lineup from the opening game of the season. He was the first high school graduate rookie in club history to start the season opener. He scored his first league goal against Jubilo Iwata in May, breaking the club's record for the youngest scorer in a J1 league game. In his rookie season, he scored five goals in 29 games and won the J. League Best Young Player Award.
He was also involved in all of the team's goals in a friendly against Manchester United in July of that year, earning him high praise from Man U players and coaches. In January 2015, he moved to FC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. He then went on to play for Liverpool and Southampton, and as of 2024, he is playing for AS Monaco.
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