Takuma Asano

Takuma Asano (浅野 拓磨) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Mallorca and the Japan national team.

Asano's younger brother Yuya is also a professional footballer, currently playing for J1 League side Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima
After attending Yokkaichi Chuo Technical High School, Asano joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the age of 18 in January 2013. He went on to win the J1 League in his debut season, making one appearance in the process.

Asano went on to win the Japanese Super Cup in 2014, while starting to break into the squad for the J1 League. He helped the side lift the league title for a second time in 2015, this time adding nine goals in 34 appearances. Due to his performances, Asano was named the J1 League Rookie of the Year.

Arsenal
On 3 July 2016, Asano was announced as Arsenal's second signing of the season, subject to a medical and international clearance. Manager Arsène Wenger described him as "a talented young striker and very much one for the future". However, Asano was refused a work permit to play in the Premier League.

Loan to VfB Stuttgart
On 26 August 2016, Asano was loaned out to VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season with an option for a further year. He made his debut in a 2–1 home loss to 1. FC Heidenheim two weeks later. On 9 April 2017, Asano scored a brace to give his side a 2–0 win over Karlsruher SC. He helped the team win the 2. Bundesliga and take promotion to the top flight.

On 22 June 2017, the loan deal with Stuttgart was extended for another season.

Loan to Hannover 96
On 23 May 2018, Asano was sent on season-long loan to Bundesliga side Hannover 96.

Partizan
On 1 August 2019, Asano completed his move to Serbian club Partizan. He signed a three-year contract and was given the number 11 shirt, while becoming the first Japanese player in club history.

Asano scored on his debut in an eventual 3–1 home win over Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor in the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round. He entered the field at the beginning of the second half instead of Filip Stevanović and scored his first goal for the club in the 67th minute. Partizan eliminated Yeni Malatyaspor and then the Norwegian Molde, thus qualifying for the Group L of the Europa League, with Manchester United, AZ Alkmaar and Astana as their opponents. Asano played in all European matches for Partizan this season and was also the scorer in the draw with AZ in Alkmaar (2–2) and in the victory over Astana (4–1) in Belgrade. Partizan finished on second place in the Serbian SuperLiga, behind Red Star, and Asano scored four goals in 23 league games. He also appeared in four games in the Serbian Cup, scoring two goals, both in the quarter-final match against Radnik Surdulica. However, Partizan did not manage to win the trophy in the Cup, as they were defeated by Vojvodina in the final game after a penalty shoot-out.

In the 2020/21 season Partizan did not qualify for the group stage of the Europa League. After eliminating the Latvian RFS and the Romanian Sfîntul Gheorghe, the club was defeated by the Belgian Charleroi in the third round. Asano appeared in all three European matches (only played one match each due to the pandemic), did not score a goal but recorded an assist to Seydouba Soumah for the only goal in the 2–1 away defeat against Charleroi after extra time. Having scored 18 goals in 33 league matches for Partizan in the ongoing championship, Asano announced on 2 May 2021 that he had rescinded his contract with the club.

VfL Bochum
On 23 June 2021, VfL Bochum 1848 announced the club have signed Asano who was on free agent. Asano made his debut for The Blues on 14 August in the first game of the Bundesliga season in a 1–0 defeat against Wolfsburg. The Japanese international scored his first goal at the Ruhrstadion on January 22, 2022 in a 2–2 draw against FC Köln. On 2 April 2022 Asano played an excellent game scoring two goals in Bochum's 2–1 away win against Hoffenheim.

On 30 July 2022 Asano scored a goal in the first round of the 2022–23 DFB-Pokal in a 3–0 win against Viktoria Berlin. Takuma Asano netted his first Bundesliga goal since April as Bochum fire five past Hoffenheim. The dominant hosts made it three before the break as Asano chased through the Hoffenheim defence to slot past Baumann - with Antwi-Adjei providing his third assist of the game. In the final round of the 2022–23 Bundesliga season, Asano helped his team avoid relegation play-offs by scoring and providing an assist in a 3–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Bochum thus finished the season in 14th position, two points ahead of 16th-placed VfB Stuttgart.

At the start of the 2023–24 Bundesliga, Takuma Asano scored twice in Bochum's 2–2 draw with FC Augsburg. The lightning-fast Asano scored in front of 27,422 spectators in first-half stoppage time to make it 1–1 and also scored in the 64th minute to make it 2–2. After 5 draws and 4 defeats, Takuma Asano scored twice against Darmstadt 98 to give Bochum their first win of the Bundesliga season. On February 18, 2024, Asano scored his seventh goal of the season, and first in seven career meetings with Bayern. He left Bochum at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Mallorca
On 6 July 2024, Asano joined Spanish side Mallorca by signing a two-year contract.

Youth
At youth level, Asano won a gold medal at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship, scoring a brace against South Korea to give his side a 3–2 win in the final. He also represented Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics, netting two goals in the tournament, as the team exited in the group stage.

Senior
On 7 May 2015, Asano was invited by Japan manager Vahid Halilhodžić for a two-day training camp. He was subsequently called up to the team for the upcoming 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. Asano scored his first goal for Samurai Blue in a 7–2 win over Bulgaria at the 2016 Kirin Cup.

In March 2018, manager Vahid Halilhodžić left out Asano and Yosuke Ideguchi for friendly matches with Mali and Ukraine in preparations for the 2018 World Cup due to lack of playing time at club level, commenting, "It makes me sad that Asano and Ideguchi are not playing. They were the heroes of our qualifying game against Australia. They haven't been chosen this time, and if things continue the way they are, there is a chance that they won't be chosen for the World Cup". In May, Asano was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the World Cup, but failed to make the final cut.

In his first match in the 2022 World Cup, Asano scored a goal in the 83rd minute to give Japan an upset victory over Germany.

International

 * Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Asano goal.

Honours
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
 * J1 League: 2013, 2015
 * Japanese Super Cup: 2013, 2014, 2016

VfB Stuttgart
 * 2. Bundesliga: 2016–17

Japan U23
 * AFC U-23 Championship: 2016

Individual
 * J.League Rookie of the Year: 2015
 * Serbian SuperLiga Player of the Week: 2020–21 (Round 24 )
 * Japan Pro-Footballers Association awards: Best XI (2022)