"Japanese Messi" has surpassed Son Heung-min in the Asian Cup or become the battle of Kubo Kenei for the king
Who is the current "Asian Football Brother"?
If there are no conditions, the current "first brother in Asia" is, of course, Sun Xingmin.
But if you add a certain condition, let's say the most expensive Asian player.
So the current "first brother in Asia" is Kim Minya and Kubo Kenying.
According to the latest "German turn" value ranking, among the current Asian players, Kim Min-jae and Kubo Ken-young are tied for first place with 60 million euros.
Son Heung-min and Mikasa are tied for third, and they are valued at 50 million euros.
The above four players are the only four players in Asia who are worth more than 50 million euros. Continuing to count, there are players worth 20 or 30 million euros.
Son Heung-min is 31 years old, Kim Min-jae is 27 years old, Mikasa is 26 years old, and Kubo Kenei is 22 years old.
In terms of current strength and achievements, Kubo Kenei has not yet reached the level of "Asia's first brother".
However, it is clear that among Kubo Kenei's value, "future potential" accounts for the largest proportion.
How much will this Japanese player, who has been to Barcelona and Real Madrid, and now finally plays at Real Sociedad, achieve much in the future?
He's been to Barcelona and Real Madrid –
In the entire history of football, there are not many players with both Barcelona and Real Madrid backgrounds.
Even if you have such an identity, you may not be lucky, you can only say that it is very special.
Kenei Kubo has such a special experience.
Born on June 4, 2001 in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Kubo became a Kawasaki Frontale U10 player in April 2010.
Being selected by Kawasaki Frontale, a strong team in the J-League, is already a good start.
But the talented Kubo Kenei only spent just over a year at Kawasaki Frontale before he went to Spain accompanied by his mother and younger brother to become a member of the Barcelona echelon.
As we all know, there are many players who have been promoted from the Barcelona youth academy to the Barcelona first team and then grown into a football star, but after "graduation" from there, there are no more players who have entered the Barcelona first team.
Kubo left the Barcelona academy in May 2015 and returned to play in the Japanese domestic league.
After a few years of training at FC Tokyo and Yokohama Mariners, he was once again given the opportunity to play in La Liga.
This time, it was another La Liga giant, Real Madrid, who called him.
In June 2019, Real Madrid announced that Kenei Kubo had joined the team on a six-year contract.
At that time, Kubo had just turned 18 years old.
Although he once again wore the jersey of the La Liga giants, the road ahead of Kenei Kubo was still uneven.
With his age and experience at the time, it was difficult to get a chance to play at Real Madrid, and his status as a non-EU player further raised the bar for him to play.
From August 2019 to June 2022, Kubo did not play a single official match for Real Madrid, despite having the aura of a Real Madrid player.
He was loaned to Mallorca, Villarreal, Getafe... Then he was loaned to Mallorca for the second time.
It wasn't until July 2022 that Kenei Kubo officially joined Real Sociedad that his career really took a turn for the better.
Take-off from Real Sociedad –
Real Sociedad are not La Liga giants, but they also have good results.
They have a deep history, a more tactical style of play, and often compete in European competitions.
For a variety of reasons, Real Sociedad is very suitable for talented players to develop and develop here.
Xavi Alonso, Antoine Griezmann and others all "took off" from Real Sociedad.
In the last two years, Kubo has also been getting better at Real Sociedad.
So far, Kubo has made 68 appearances for Real Sociedad, scoring 15 goals and providing 10 assists.
He finished with nine goals and six assists in 44 appearances last season and has six goals and four assists in 24 appearances so far this season.
Known to some fans as the "Japanese Messi", Kubo's technical characteristics deserve the nickname.
He can rely on his superb dribbling skills to deal with multiple defenders with ease.
He can also rely on his excellent footwork and awareness to provide subtle assists to his teammates.
Cut inside on the side, raise your foot and hit!
Although the ball was disallowed due to a foul by a teammate, it still allows us to see some of Messi's shadow.
In the ongoing season, Real Sociedad not only maintained their place in the European league but also performed well in the Champions League.
They beat Inter Milan and marched to the round of 16 as group winners!
In the Champions League 1/8 finals, Real Sociedad will face Paris Saint-Germain.
The showdown between Kenei Kubo and Li Gangren will also become a highlight.
The Asian Cup is coming up –
Before the Champions League 1/8 finals, Kubo Jianying has the opportunity to compete with Li Gangren in the Asian Cup.
When the 2022 Qatar World Cup was underway, Kubo Kenei was still worth 12 million euros.
Although the Japanese team played well in the World Cup, Kubo did not get many opportunities.
He made two starts at the World Cup in Qatar and played more than 90 minutes in total, with no goals or assists to score.
After more than a year, Kenei Kubo will return to the World Cup venue in Qatar to prove himself again.
Of course, provided that he doesn't get injured in the period leading up to the start of the Asian Cup.
A few days ago, Real Sociedad drew 0-0 away at Cadiz, and Kenei Kubo suffered a violent foul from his opponent.
"I haven't been so angry in a long time, and although I haven't had a check-up yet, there may be a crack in the rib (rib) here," he said. ”
Today, Kubo is not only the most expensive player in the Japanese team, but also one of the most interesting players in all of Asia.
As long as nothing else, he will surely be the core player of the Japanese team's attacking line.
In this Asian Cup, the Japanese team is in the same group as Indonesia, Iraq, and Vietnam.
For the strong Japanese team, qualifying from the group is certainly not a problem.
Their real goal is to win the trophy.
Will Japan win the Asian Cup? Will Kenei Kubo usher in an Asian Cup of his own?
From January 13, 2024, pay attention to the Asian Cup!