# Kō Itakura

Kō Itakura (板倉 滉, Itakura Kō, born 27 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as centre-back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach and the Japan national team.

## Club career

In January 2019, Itakura joined Premier League club Manchester City and was immediately loaned to Eredivisie club Groningen, until the summer of 2020. On 24 July 2020, his stay with Groningen was extended with one more year after both clubs agreed.
On 19 August 2021, Itakura signed a season-long loan deal with 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 with an option to make the move permanent for £5 million. At the end of the season, he was promoted to the Bundesliga with Schalke, but the club did not activate the option due to financial reasons.
On August 19 2023, he scored his first goal in the Bundesliga against Augsburg, and on September 2, he scored a goal against Bayern Munich, which had the most wins and were the champions of the previous year. On September 8th, he was selected as the team's MVP for August.

## International career

Itakura was selected for the senior Japan national football team for 2019 Copa América and made his debut on 20 June 2019 in the game against Uruguay, as a starter.
On March 29, 2021, he scored two goals against the Argentina national under-24 football team, and was also selected to represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing in 4th place.
In November 2022, he was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Japan National team for the first time. Participated in all group stage matches and became the first Asian team to win first place in an overseas World Cup group league, contributing to advance to the final tournament for two consecutive tournaments. His long ball was the starting point of the come-from-behind goal against Germany. He was also named in the first group stage best eleven by Spanish Marca and Italian Sky Sport. The former named him one of the players to double his value in the World Cup and described him as "the most consistent performance of the entire tournament".
On March 28, 2023, he served as captain for the first time in the second match of the second term of Moriyasu Japan against Colombia.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2015 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2016 | J1 League | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2017 | J1 League | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 15 | 1 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Total | Total | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Vegalta Sendai (loan) | 2018 | J1 League | 24 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 32 | 3 |
| Manchester City | 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Groningen (loan) | 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Groningen (loan) | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 23 | 0 |
| Groningen (loan) | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| Groningen (loan) | Total | Total | 56 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 59 | 1 |
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 32 | 4 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 22 | 3 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 26 | 2 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | Total | Total | 68 | 4 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 73 | 5 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 186 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 218 | 14 |
* ↑ Includes Emperor's Cup, KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal
* ↑ Includes J.League Cup
* ↑ Includes AFC Champions League
* ↑ Includes J1 League Championship, Eredivisie European play-offs

### International

    As of match played 19 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | 2019 | 3 | 0 |
| Japan | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| Japan | 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| Japan | 2022 | 11 | 0 |
| Japan | 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| Japan | 2024 | 13 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 35 | 2 |
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Kō Itakura :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 28 May 2021 | Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan | Myanmar | 10–0 | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 November 2024 | Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China | China | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Kawasaki Frontale
* J1 League: 2017
Vegalta Sendai
* Emperor's Cup: runner-up 2018
Schalke 04
* 2. Bundesliga: 2021–22
Individual
* Tag Heuer Young Guns Award: 2018
* Groningen Player of the Year: 2020–21
* Borussia's Player of the Month: August 2023
* Japan Pro-Footballers Association Best XI [ja]: 2022, 2023, 2024
* IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2024