Niko Takahashi

Niko Takahashi[5] (高橋仁胡, Takahashi Niko, born 17 August 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for FC Barcelona Juvenile B. Born in Spain, he is a Japan youth international.

The native form of this personal name is Takahashi Niko. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Niko Takahashi
Personal information
Birth name Niko Takahashi Cendagorta[1]
Date of birth (2005-08-17) 17 August 2005
Place of birth Cornellà, Spain[1]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Left back, centre back[3]
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona Juvenile B
Youth career
FCB Peñas
San Cugat
Cornellà
2019– Barcelona
International career‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Japan U19 2 (0)
2023– Japan U20 6 (0)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 May 2023[4]

Club career

Early career

Born in the Barcelona metropolitan area to a Japanese mother and Argentine father, Takahashi played futsal at a young age, before joining his first club FCB Peñas in La Floresta.[6][7]

He joined local side San Cugat before moving to Cornellà, where he attracted the attention of Espanyol, Girona and Barcelona.[6] He chose to sign with Barcelona, as he had supported the Catalan club since he was young, and joined in 2019.[8][9]

He signed a contract extension in September 2021.[9] A year later, in September 2022, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.[10]

International career

Takahashi is eligible to represent Spain, Japan and Argentina at international level. He was called up to the Japan under-16 team in 2020, but was unable to attend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][8] He also received a call up to the Spain under-16 team in May 2021, and has been approached by Argentina.[7][8][11][12]

In May 2022, Takahashi was called up to the Japan national under-19 football team for the first time ahead of the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament.[13]

References
  1. Niko Takahashi at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
  2. "Niko Takahashi Cendagorta". web.gekisaka.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  3. Niko Takahashi at WorldFootball.net
  4. Niko Takahashi at Soccerway
  5. "SQUAD LIST – FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™" (PDF). FIFA. p. 15.
  6. Noguer, Ignasi (4 September 2021). "La història de Niko Takahashi, la perla del Barça per qui sospiren 3 seleccions" [The story of Niko Takahashi, the pearl of Barça for whom 3 national teams are fighting]. elnacional.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  7. "Niko Takahashi Cendagorta, la Promesa de Barcelona que Busca la Selección Argentina" [Niko Takahashi Cendagorta, the Promise of Barcelona that the Argentine National Team is Looking for]. marketingregistrado.com (in Spanish). 15 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  8. Cristofanelli, Federico (14 July 2021). "La historia de Niko Takahashi, la promesa del Barcelona que está en el sub-16 de España, pero tiene propuestas para jugar en Argentina y Japón" [The story of Niko Takahashi, the promise of Barcelona who is an under-16 international for Spain, but has proposals to play for Argentina and Japan]. infobae.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  9. "バルセロナが16歳DF高橋仁胡と契約延長! 今夏に飛び級でU-18チーム登録" [Barcelona extends contract with 16-year-old defender Niko Takahashi!]. news.yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). 2 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  10. Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (28 September 2022). "Next Generation 2022: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  11. "Niko Takahashi: La gran promesa de España que Argentina y Japón se quieren robar" [Niko Takahashi: The great promise of Spain that Argentina and Japan want to steal]. elgrafico.com (in Spanish). 14 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  12. "La historia del juvenil del Barcelona que nació en España, podría jugar para Japón pero al que buscan de la Selección Argentina: Niko Takahashi, la nueva promesa de La Masía" [The history of the Barcelona youth who was born in Spain, could play for Japan but the one they are looking for from the Argentine National Team: Niko Takahashi, the new promise of La Masía]. tntsports.com.ar (in Spanish). 14 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. Kawabata, Akihiko (23 May 2022). "異色選出のU-19日本代表。多重国籍のバルセロナDF高橋センダゴルタ仁胡ら招集に見るJFAの戦略" [U-19 Japan National Team selected from a different color. JFA strategy seen in the convocation of multinational Barcelona defender Niko Takahashi Cendagorta and others]. goal.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
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