Captain Mirai

“Mirai” is a delicate word in Japanese. It could be a given name, but in general it means “future”. And maybe the fact that some children are named like this, it’s the sign of wanting to see the future. That same vibe who the fans from FC Tokyo felt while lighting up the stadium after a solid home win against Albirex Niigata. Because the attention was mostly given to someone who’s about to leave.

The no. 7 played just 29 minutes, but those were enough for a goodbye. Kuryu Matsuki seemed genuinely touched by the homages paid by the home supporters (57,885 fans gathered for this occasion) – despite his young age, he understood the warmth of the fans around him, the expectations on his shoulders. Which were large enough to carry them, since the time he was just a child in Aomori.

It wasn’t an accident that the AFC gave him the “Youth Player of the Year” award in 2023 – a feat achieved by other five Japanese players (Shinji Ono, Ryoichi Maeda, Yoshito Okubo, Hideki Ishige and, lastly, Ritsu Doan). Matsuki is aware of the challenge ahead of him: “While I wanted to go abroad since I was little, a chance materialised itself and the team helped me. But I’m sure I can do this”.

Some senators – like Yuto Nagatomo – gave him further advice: “He knew the kind of feeling that I have for this challenge. He encouraged me to do so, saying I could only improve from here onwards”. And Matsuki didn’t hide his final aim: “I want to be ready for the Premier League, and I want to win the Champions League. But I want to do it steadily, step-by-step”.

The Golden Kid

The story of Matsuki, though, didn’t start in Kanto, but rather in Hokkaido. Born in Muroran – a small city near Sapporo -, Matsuki engaged with football at six years old. Back then, he was seeing one of the training of his brother at the local club, Muroran Osawa FC. The coach asked him if he wanted to give it a try, and Matsuki actually started as a keeper, to then become a midfielder only in the third year of elementary school.

But the young Kuryu needed to cross the sea to grow even further. From Hokkaido he moved to Aomori, where the renowned Aomori Yamada High School is located. He first attended the Junior grades, then the high school. That’s where he won championships, and he made a name for himself. So much that even from Europe scouts took note of the Japanese prodigy.

Indeed, Matsuki had the chance of training with Olympique Lyon in the Summer of 2021, just before dominating and winning the High School National Tournament in the same year. Ligue 1 showed more attention through RC Strasbourg, who actually wanted to sign Matsuki before he even set a foot on a J.League pitch. And this despite Matsuki couldn’t play the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

But right when everything was set to leave Japan, something intervened. Or someone, actually. In a press conference of October 2021, Matsuki announced he would have signed for FC Tokyo. The reason? Yuto Nagatomo. Yes, back then he hadn’t yet come back to Japan, but Matsuki was adviced by him to stay in Japan and spent a bit more time: “I think he is a player who is working very hard outside the pitch, so I want to follow his route.“

King of the Capital

You know who also spoke at that famous press conference? Go Kuroda, back then head coach of Aomori Yamada and now miracle-maker with Machida Zelvia: ”In recent years, there have been no such type of players (as Matsuki) in the appearance, behavior and thinking, and I had the hunch he would have become a great player from the first time I saw it, when he just graduated from elementary school. Soccer skills are another part of this, but there is also the effort of the person himself, and above all, learning fast.”

There was a lot of hype around him and it was Albert Puig’s job to manage all these expectations. Puig answered by fielding him in the starting eleven right away in the opening game, away at Kawasaki Frontale. Matsuki immediately impressed, becoming a key-piece for that squad – in fact, he featured in 37 games in all competitions (and three goals). But there’s more to the numbers.

What’s impressive it’s been the capability of Matsuki of fitting in many positions, being a ductile player not just in roles, but also mentality. He plays hard, he’s capable of tackling and having the last pass. He’s an all-rounder – he reminded us a lot of Reo Hatate, as for swag in his playing style, personality, and ability to be fielded in different situations.

While the numbers decreased in 2023 due to injuries, when Puig left for Peter Cklamovski, the Australian head coach didn’t flinch in making Matsuki the captain for the 2024 season (alongside senator Masato Morishige and Kei Koizumi). And the no. 7 delivered some solid performances, seeming mentally ready for the leap – and also winning the AFC U-23 Asian Cup with the Samurai Blue.

Between Turkey, England, and more

There’s been already a farewell game, the one at home against Albirex Niigata. Big crowd celebrating him, because the destination seems clear at this point – Southampton FC, fresh of return to the Premier League, opted to buy him. But unlike Yukinari Sugawara – who also joined, but from AZ Alkmaar -, Matsuki will need to mature the conditions to get a UK work-permit, so he’ll probably be loaned to Göztepe.

A good investment for Southampton, a solid return for FC Tokyo (rumours have established that’s a 4 million of euros-deal), and a great opportunity for Matsuki (although with a catch – no Paris Olympics for him). The Turkish Super Lig will be a decent first test, although we expect him to dominate there and show off his value. Not many Japanese players have featured there (6), but ironically enough, Yuto Nagatomo was the most successful.

Southampton seems a possible good landing spot, even looking at 2025-26. The club has a tradition with Japanese players, since the Saints had already Tadanari Lee and mostly Maya Yoshida in their roster (the centre-back even became captain). And the Premier League has recently opened to Japanese players as well, with Kaoru Mitoma and Wataru Endo making the rounds.

Most of all, this move will be crucial for the national team. Matsuki has been a prodigy for all national squads of Japan, and now it’s gonna be time to see him with the senior team. It’s tough to see an exact place where Moriyasu could integrate him, but with a 4-3-3 we could see him being a mezzala, or one of the three behind the striker – maybe alongside Kubo and Mitoma. The future is just waiting for him.