Gaku Nawata

Gaku Nawata (名和田我空; born 29 July 2006) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a striker.

Club career
Nawata began his career as a football player at Konokawuchi SC when he was an elementary school student. He achieved second place in the U-12 tournament in Miyazaki when he was in sixth grade.

In 2018, he enrolled in Kamimura Gakuen, which is known for its excellence in football. He won the national junior high school tournament and was the top scorer. And then, he skipped a grade to join the high school team, and he is still a key player there.

International career
In 2022, he was first called up to the Japan U-16. At 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, he scored the most of all the players and led his national team to victory. He also won the MVP award for the tournament. On 11 October, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.

In the same year, he has continued to represent Japan at 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In the first game at the knockout round, he scored the equalizer against Spain, but Japan conceded a goal later and ended up in defeat.

Honours
 International 
 * AFC U-17 Asian Cup: 2023

 Individual 
 * Top Goal Scorer AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023: 5 goals
 * Player of the Tournament AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023