Ko Itakura

Kō Itakura is a Japanese central defender who progressed from Kawasaki Frontale through Manchester City's loan network to Borussia Mönchengladbach, before joining Ajax in 2025 as the first Japanese player in the club's first team. He has earned 40 caps for Japan.

Itakura started his senior career at Kawasaki Frontale and was part of the squad that won the 2017 J1 League title. After a productive loan at Vegalta Sendai he moved to Manchester City in 2019, though he made no competitive appearances there. Instead he developed through loans at FC Groningen — where he won the club's Player of the Year award for 2020–21 — and Schalke 04, where he helped secure promotion from the 2. Bundesliga in 2022.

He signed permanently for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022, making 76 Bundesliga appearances and earning JPFA Best XI selections in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In August 2025 he made history by becoming the first Japanese player to represent Ajax, contributing from the outset in the Eredivisie. Internationally, he debuted at the 2019 Copa América and featured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.