Yotaro Nakajima

Jacek Kulig

Yotaro Nakajima

Full name in native alphabet: 中島 洋太朗

Country: Japan

Date of birth: 22/04/2006 (17 years old)

Place of birth: Hiroshima (Japan)

Height: 174cm

Youth career: Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Current club: Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Squad number: —

Current national team: Japan U-17

Position: defensive midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder

Preferred foot: right

Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 50.000 €

Tournaments participated in: 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup (5/1), 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup (4/0)

Contract until: unknown

Player’s agent: unknown

Transfer rumours: —

Similar type of player: Youri Tielemans

Strengths:

– passing Untitled1

– vision Untitled1

– technique Untitled1

– football IQ Untitled1

– positioning Untitled

– tackling Untitled

– work rate Untitled

– versatility Untitled

– ambidexterity Untitled

To improve:

– a very complete profile for a midfielder of his age but still needs to work hard to improve some elements of his game such as consistency, explosivity, and aerial ability

Style of play:

– intelligent and hardworking central midfielder

– player with a decent body mass ratio, who can develop well physically in the coming years

– his versatility and rich skillset make him able to perform at all of the midfield positions and roles such as deep-lying playmaker, roaming playmaker, box-to-box midfielder, or even advanced playmaker

– excellent in combination play/perfect for possession-based football

– elegant on the ball with a superb technical capacity

high football IQ and spatial awareness

– excellent vision and passing skills at all distances

– feels very comfortable in quick combination and one-touch play

– displays a natural technique to take fast decisions in tight spaces

– very good composure and retention skills under pressure/press-resistant player

– above-average positioning and decision-making on the off the ball

– proactive and efficient in the defensive phase/makes many important tackles and interceptions thanks to his anticipation and tenacity

– positively aggressive and combative in duels

– operates very comfortably with his weaker left foot

Nakajima controls the ball, makes an instant decision, and provides a superb assist with his weaker foot.
Nakajima anticipates well, intercepts the ball, and plays a very good pass.
Nakajima presses his opponent, wins the ball back, and starts a dangerous attack.

Heatmap by Wyscout:

He is best suited to playing as:

Central midfielder in 4-2-3-1.

Video:

Achievements:

2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup winner with Japan.

League summary (as for 11 January 2023):

No senior team appearances yet.

Description:

Yotaro Nakajima is considered to be one of the most interesting U17s in Asia. He is the son of a former professional footballer Koji Nakajima. He is a product of the Shanon Bellmare youth academy. In June 2023, he was an important member of the Japanese team at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, where young Samurais won the gold medal in great style and showed a very interesting generation of players such as Ryunosuke Sato, Yumeki Yoshinaga, Kotaro Hinda, Gaku Nawata, Yutaka Michiwaki, Ryunosuke Yada, Shuto Nagano, and Keita Kosugi. A few months later, Yotaro represented his country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Japan made it to the round of 16 but lost to a very strong Spanish side.

Quotes:

Football Talent Scout potential rating:

8/10 BallBallBallBallBallBallBallBall

First team material in a top European league.

Links:

Transfermarkt

Soccerway

Playmaker

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