Gaku Nawata
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gaku Nawata | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Miyakonojō, Miyazaki, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Gamba Osaka | ||
| Number | 38 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2018 | Konokawauchi SC[1] | ||
| 2018–2021 | Kamimura Gakuen Junior High School | ||
| 2022–2024 | Kamimura Gakuen High School | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | Gamba Osaka | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022– | Japan U17 | 9 | (6) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:36, 1 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 09:41, 21 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Gaku Nawata (名和田 我空, Nawata Gaku; born 29 July 2006) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a striker for Gamba Osaka.
Nawata began his career as a football player at Konokawauchi SC when he was an elementary school student. He achieved second place in the U-12 tournament in Miyazaki when he was in sixth grade.[2]
In 2018, he enrolled in Kamimura Gakuen, which is known for its excellence in football. He won the national junior high school tournament and was the top scorer.[3] And then, he skipped a grade to join the high school team, and he was a key player there.[4][5][6][7]
On 15 December 2024, Nawata was announced at Gamba Osaka from the 2025 season.[8]
International career
In 2022, he was first called up to the Japan U-16. At 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, he scored the most of all the players and led his national team to victory. He also won the MVP award for the tournament.[9] On 11 October, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[10]
In the same year, he has continued to represent Japan at 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In the first game at the knockout round, he scored the equalizer against Spain, but Japan conceded a goal later and ended up in defeat.[11]