# Ao Tanaka

Ao Tanaka (田中 碧, Tanaka Ao, born 10 September 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for EFL Championship club Leeds United and the Japan national team.

## Club career
### Kawasaki Frontale

Raised for a decade in the youth ranks of hometown club Kawasaki Frontale, Tanaka made his J1 League debut in September 2018 against Consadole Sapporo, scoring his first professional goal just six minutes after he was subbed on. As injuries struck the midfield options of Kawasaki Frontale during the 2019 season, he earned more starts with his club, participating in 24 J1 League matches throughout the season, accumulating 31 matches in total during the year, across 5 different competitions. As his performances continuously caught the eyes of many, and his manager's approval, he was then awarded the 2019 J.League Rookie of the Year Award in his first full professional season. With this feat, he is the only Kawasaki Frontale player ever to win this award.

### Fortuna Düsseldorf

On 26 June 2021, after two and a half professional seasons with Kawasaki Frontale, he joined German 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf on a year-long loan with an option to buy.
On 28 April 2022, Fortuna Düsseldorf, satisfied with his club and national team performances, exercised the buy-out option in his club contract to acquire him, paying his release clause to get him officially signed for the club on 28 April 2022. He signed a three-year contract with the expiration date being 30 June 2025, encouraged by a sequence of game time with their first-team in the 2021–22 2. Bundesliga.

### Leeds United

On 30 August 2024, Tanaka signed for EFL Championship club Leeds United on a four-year deal. By November 2024 he had become a key player for the team, being described as "undroppable". He scored his first goal for The Whites in a 3–3 league tie on 4 January 2025 at Hull.

## International career

Tanaka made his debut for the Japan national football team on 14 December 2019, in a 5–0 win against Hong Kong in the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship. In the summer of 2021, he was named in the 22-man squad for the 2020 Olympic Games alongside 2 Kawasaki Frontale ex-teammates, Kaoru Mitoma, and Reo Hatate. He started every match for Japan during the tournament.
Throughout the 2020 season, Tanaka established for a good reputation among the Kawasaki Frontale players, playing a total of more than 2500 minutes across all competitions, being a starter in most of the matches he played. His performances with the Kawasaki Frontale team also helped him earn caps with the Japan under-23 team, including a two-goal performance that helped the Japan under-23s earn a 3–2 win over the Brazil under-23 team in a friendly match at 14 October 2019.
He played his first match in the AFC qualification tournament for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 12 October 2021, where he scored his first international goal in a 2–1 home win against Australia. On 1 November 2022, Tanaka was included in Japan's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On 1 December, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Spain, which qualified his national team to the knockout stage as top of their group. That goal sparked much dispute over its validity since the ball seemed to be out-of-play when Kaoru Mitoma assisted Tanaka. The dispute was only settled after the match when the Associated Press released a crucial evidence, the bird's eye photo of the ball, taken by Petr David Josek. Josek revealed that a total of four agencies — AP, Reuters, AFP and Getty Images — were approved to enter the suspended catwalk to take bird's eye photos, but the latter three missed the shot because they were at the opposite side of the pitch anticipating a Spanish goal instead.

## Personal life

Tanaka is the childhood friend of fellow Japan international and former Kawasaki Frontale teammate, Kaoru Mitoma, who currently plays for English Premier League club, Brighton and Hove Albion. Both of them attended Saginuma elementary school in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, and promised to make Japan proud as a professional footballer.
He used a Nambu iron kettle to get enough iron, which helped improve his anaemia.
As of December 2022, he dated Airi Suzuki, a former member of the Japanese idol group Cute.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 12 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2018 | J1 League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2019 | J1 League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2020 | J1 League | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 6 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2021 | J1 League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Total | Total | 79 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 94 | 10 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 1 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 1 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 30 | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 36 | 8 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2024–25 | 2. Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | Total | Total | 84 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 95 | 10 |
| Leeds United | 2024–25 | Championship | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 4 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 197 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 222 | 24 |
* ↑ Includes Emperor's Cup, DFB-Pokal, and FA Cup
* ↑ Includes J. League Cup and EFL Cup
* ↑ 4 appearances and 1 goal in AFC Champions League, 1 appearance in Japanese Super Cup
* ↑ Appearance in Japanese Super Cup
* ↑ Appearances in 2. Bundesliga promotion play-offs

### International

    As of match played 15 October 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| Japan | 2021 | 3 | 1 |
| Japan | 2022 | 13 | 2 |
| Japan | 2023 | 6 | 3 |
| Japan | 2024 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 29 | 8 |
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Ao Tanaka :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 12 October 2021 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan | Australia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 2 June 2022 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan | Paraguay | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup |
| 3. | 1 December 2022 | Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Spain | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 4. | 9 September 2023 | Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany | Germany | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 5. | 13 October 2023 | Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan | Canada | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6. | 13 October 2023 | Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan | Canada | 4–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 7. | 1 January 2024 | Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Thailand | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 21 March 2024 | Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | North Korea | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Kawasaki Frontale
* J1 League: 2017, 2018, 2020
* Emperor's Cup: 2020
* J.League Cup: 2019
* Japanese Super Cup: 2019, 2021
Individual
* J.League Rookie of the Year: 2019
* J.League Best XI: 2020
* Toulon Tournament Bronze Ball : 2019
* Toulon Tournament Best XI: 2019