Kubo impresses Japan and Real Madrid
The Real Madrid dressing room have so far been impressed by the youngster, claiming "he is not out of place".
Real Madrid's new signing Takefusa Kubo could be closer to featuring in the first team than initially expected, if first impressions are anything to go by, and the comparisons with Vinicius last summer are obvious, with the young Brazilian one of the shining lights in a poor season for Los Blancos.
Kubo is "not out of place"
According to the Madrid dressing room, the Japanese youngster is "not out of place", and in Montreal, as Real embark on their pre-season tour, Kubo's progress will be eagerly watched. Moreover, the J1 League kicked off in February, which means he has 18 or so games under his belt, while his Madrid team-mates are slowly getting back into the swing of things after their summer holidays.
In Japan
In Japan, too, there is hum of anticipation over how the youngster will fare. "They're crazy about him in my country," explains Kentaro Koyama, from Japan's public broadcaster NHK. "In just a short time he will become as popular as other media stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Kei Nishikori". There is also a race to broadcast anything involving the youngster: "The channel DAZN has bought the rights to the International Champions Cup for Japan, even though there are 13 hours' difference with the USA. And that's because of Kubo," explains Kazuyuki Kakiuchi, from Sports Nippon. "Kubomania" is here and, while there should be a note of caution and space left for the 18-year-old to grow and develop, Madrid are more than happy with their new prospect.