Yūto Nagatomo

Japan · DF

Yūto Nagatomo in Japan's blue shirt.
Photo Светлана Бекетова / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

The last dance

From a university benchwarmer to a fifth World Cup

Yūto Nagatomo's story should not have happened. At university he was so far down the pecking order that he spent time cheering from the stands rather than playing — a non-prospect who willed himself into a professional, then into Europe, then into the Inter Milan back four. Almost nobody travels that road.

He has been Japan's left-back for the best part of two decades, four World Cups deep, 144 caps of relentless energy and a smile that never seems to dim. He is the senpai of the squad, the link between Japanese football's hopeful past and its rising present.

At 40, a place in the 2026 squad would mean a fifth World Cup — territory almost no outfield player ever reaches. For a man who began as the boy who wasn't good enough, it would be the most improbable summit of all.

Profil Coupe du Monde 2026

Équipe
Japan
Poste
DF
Rôle dans l'effectif
Titulaire projeté · #5
Classement au poste
#3
Sélections
144
Buts en sélection
4
Passes décisives en sélection
28
0.11(note du modèle, 0-1)
0.1%

Voir Yūto Nagatomo dans la liste des buteurs de Japan →

Forme récente

Rising

2021/22 international form vs the player's multi-season baseline (7.29 vs 6.95).

Major tournament stats

TournamentMPMinGAxGShKPPrgPPrgCTklInt
World Cup 20224209000.001231843
World Cup 20184377010.122352534
All tournaments8586010.123584377
Event data from StatsBomb open data, covering the World Cup, Euro, Copa América and AFCON finals. Small per-tournament samples — totals shown, not per-90 rates.
▸How to read this table— 11 columns explained
MP
Matches played in the tournament.
Min
Total minutes on the pitch.
G
Goals scored (penalties in normal play included; shootouts excluded).
A
Assists — passes that directly led to a goal.
xG
Expected goals — summed per-shot quality (StatsBomb's model).
Sh
Shots taken.
KP
Key passes — passes that led to a shot.
PrgP
Progressive passes — completed passes moving the ball ≥10m toward goal.
PrgC
Progressive carries — carries advancing ≥5m toward goal.
Tkl
Tackles won.
Int
Interceptions.

Radar de scouting en tournoi

Defending

Tackles won / 90
1.08
57
Interceptions / 90
1.08
50
Ball recoveries / 90
3.38
52
Blocks / 90
1.23
23
Clearances / 90
1.84
27
Pressures / 90
13.36
85

Passing & progression

Prog. passes / 90
8.91
23
Key passes / 90
0.46
55
Prog. carries / 90
6.60
34
Pass completion %
78.9%
26

Possession

Carries / 90
32.10
34
Dribbles / 90
0.92
84

Statistiques par 90 minutes issues des données de tournois majeurs (StatsBomb), classées parmi 128 defenders ayant joué 270 minutes ou plus dans les mêmes compétitions. Plus c'est haut, mieux c'est.

Profil international

Yūto Nagatomo has 144 caps and 4 international goals for Japan, a DF projeté titulaire. Les statistiques de carrière en championnats européens du Big-5 ne sont pas disponibles pour ce joueur, mais le modèle évalue tout de même ses perspectives pour 2026.

Perspectives de scoring : Japan →Effectif et modèle de Japan →

Rest of the Japan squad