Takehiro Tomiyasu is a Japanese professional footballer whose successful career took him to the English Premier League in 2021 to play for Arsenal. He joined the London legends from Italian Serie A side Bologna in time for the 2021/22 season and made 22 appearances. He has also won more than 25 caps for the Japanese national team since 2018 and will be part of their squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has the distinction of having been included in the IFFHS’s Asian Football Confederation Team of the Decade for the 2010s.
Tomiyasu was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in November 1998. His natural ability, and particularly his pace, attracted the attention of a local football coach, and his parents agreed to let him play football. When he was 11 years old, he was offered a place at Barcelona’s Youth Academy, but unfortunately, the move to Spain fell through. However, rather than be downcast, Tomiyasu took inspiration from his time training for one of, if not the biggest football club in the world. In 2015, he signed with J League side, Avispa Fukuoka, and became one of their star players.
In 2018, Tomiyasu got his break abroad when he was signed by Belgian top-flight side, Sint-Truidense. He repaid their faith during his first full season with them, winning their Player of the Year Award. Other major clubs wanted in, and he joined Italian side Bologna for €9 million in June 2019. He spent two seasons with them, making over 50 appearances and gaining even more exposure. He was linked to Tottenham Hotspur, but it was their North London rivals Arsenal that beat them to Tomiyasu’s signature in August 2021, in a deal worth up to £17 million.
