Japan's Rising Stars - Takayuki Morimoto

Image via Calcio Catania via Flickr.com
Takayuki Morimoto
Forward
Catania
May 7, 1988 (Age:21)

Background:
Once considered the "Golden Boy" of Japanese football, Morimoto has been building up his reputation in Europe instead of Japan. The youngest player and goalscorer in J-League history, has had a fine season in Serie A where he has scored 7 goals in 23 League games. Some notable performances include a brace against A.S. Roma and a goal against title-challengers Juventus. Morimoto has played for Japan during the FIFA World Youth Championships and the Olympics.

Player Attributes:
Morimoto has often been compared to the Brazilian Ronaldo. He has both size and pace coupled with a good sense for goal. Several of his goals this season have been poaching efforts while others have been good individual skill. Serie A has made him into a more physical player and his technique is also developing nicely.

Future:
Morimoto has been linked to several EPL clubs this summer, notably Manchester United and Tottenham. This may seem like premature moves for the young striker, but they could be crucial ones in the effort to develop him into a world class striker. On the International level he has not been called up to the senior national team, to the dismay of this writer, but if he continues to improve then he will have a chance at international success.