Kōta Takai
Japanese footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kōta Takai (高井 幸大, Takai Kōta; born 4 September 2004) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Japan national team.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kōta Takai[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 September 2004[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Tottenham Hotspur | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | River FC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2022 | Kawasaki Frontale | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Kawasaki Frontale | 60 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026 | → Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Japan U15 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Japan U20 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Japan U23 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Japan | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 June 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Kawasaki Frontale
Takai was promoted to the Kawasaki Frontale first team ahead of the 2022 season.[2] He made his debut in a 8–0 victory against Guangzhou.[3] At the end of the 2024 J1 League season, Takai was named the J.League's Best Young Player of 2024.[4] He would help Frontale win the 2023 Emperor's Cup and 2024 Japanese Super Cup as well as making it to the 2025 AFC Champions League Elite final for the first time in club history.[5]
Tottenham Hotspur
On 8 July 2025, Takai agreed to join Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent transfer until 2030.[6] Takai's start to life at Tottenham was delayed after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, causing him to miss pre-season and the first matches of the season, returning to training in early September.[7][8] Takai would play his first minutes for Tottenham with the U21s in a Behind closed doors friendly against Dagenham & Redbridge on 2 December, later making his first matchday squad in a 1–0 away win against Crystal Palace on 28 December.[9][10]
Loan to Borussia Mönchengladbach
On 2 January 2026, Takai joined Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach on loan for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.[11] He made his debut on 11 January 2026 in the 72nd minute as a substitute for Philipp Sander in a 4–0 home win over FC Augsburg.[12]
International career
On 4 April 2024, Takai was called up to the Japan U23 squad for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.[13] The same year on 5 September, Takai debuted for Japan national team in a 2026 World Cup qualification against China at the Saitama Stadium 2002, replacing Ko Itakura in the 71st minute of Japan's 7–0 victory.[14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 25 April 2026[15]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2022 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2025 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| Total | 60 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 4 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 68 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 89 | 4 | ||
- Includes Emperor's Cup
- Includes J.League Cup
- Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League (Elite)
- Appearance in Japanese Super Cup
International
- As of match played 10 June 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Honours
Kawasaki Frontale
Japan U23
Individual
