In their upcoming match against Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona will be facing a familiar face that could have been starring for the Catalan club instead of for La Real if events in the last few years had not panned out as they did.
This face will be that of Takefusa Kubo, the 22-year-old winger currently playing for Real Sociedad, who is having a memorable season with La Real, having already scored five goals and given three assists in thirteen appearances.
Growing at La Masia and in Japan
Kubo first came to Spain in 2011 when Barcelona scouts decided to bet on him, and he grew and developed at La Masia for several years, before he had to go back to Japan in 2015 because of a FIFA sanction on the Barcelona youth team.
After spending two years without playing football, Kubo left Barcelona for Japan with a clear idea to return to the Catalan club once he had turned eighteen years of age. During his time in Japan, he joined Tokyo FC and also became a full international for the Japanese national team.
He also used to visit Barcelona regularly during this time, and everyone took his return to Barcelona for granted, keeping in view his development in line with Barcelona’s style of play and affection for the club.
Breakdown of negotiations with Barcelona
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, keeping in view the growth that Kubo had undergone in this period, his entourage wanted to renegotiate the terms of his return to Barcelona and wanted a guarantee that Kubo would be a first-team player.
This was not acceptable for Barcelona, who left the negotiating table at this demand. With this breakdown of talks, Real Madrid burst onto the scene and made a much superior economic offer to the youngster.
By the summer of 2019, Real Madrid had announced his signing, but his time at Real Madrid did not go exactly as planned because of two other youngsters, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes.
As a result, Kubo went on three largely unconvincing loans to Getafe, Villarreal, and Mallorca, before being sold to Real Sociedad in 2022. His contract at La Real goes till 2027, and despite some reports to the contrary, Real Sociedad fully own the player.
However, Real Madrid still have a 50% right to any proceeds from future sale, and can also match the offer from another club to get a priority option on the player.
