Japan’s Takefusa Kubo became the youngest player to score in a J.League match on Saturday, topping the previous record held by former Japan international Takayuki Morimoto.
The goal came in the 38th minute of a Meiji Yasuda J3 League match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai between Cerezo Osaka U-23 and FC Tokyo U-23.
The highly-anticipated Kubo, a former member of Barcelona’s academy system, dribbled into the penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot with his left foot that crashed off the crossbar and into the net.
At 15 years, 10 months, and 11 days, the youngster’s strike bested Morimoto’s debut goal for Tokyo Verdy in 2004 by one month and 17 days.
Kubo, who is currently registered to Tokyo’s U-18 squad, made his J3 debut in November 2016 against AC Nagano Parceiro. He recently accompanied the Japan U-20 national team during the training camp in Germany, where he made several strong performances and inserted himself into the picture for the country’s upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign.
Referred to by local media as the “Japanese Messi,” Kubo has already been tapped by many observers as a potential star for hosts Japan in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was one of several academy players forced to leave Barcelona after the European titans were sanctioned for violating international transfer regulations by FIFA.