A Name to Remember: Takayuki Morimoto

The upside of being called the “Japanese Ronaldo” is that you can stuff yourself silly at the all-u-can-eat sushi buffet without having to worry about people questioning your eating habits. The downside to being called the Japanese Ronaldo is that you have to score a bunch of goals to live up to that label.

By some accounts, the 18-year-old Japanese striker Takayuki Morimoto is poised for greatness. His size, strength and knack for goal scoring have led to the comparisons to Ronaldo. He made his professional debut for Tokyo Verdy at the tender age of 15 years, 10 months and 6 days, and scored his first goal two days before his 16th birthday, both records for the J-League.

After scoring 5 goals in 36 appearances for Tokyo Verdy, he was sent on a one-year loan to Calcio Catania in Serie A. On Sunday he made his debut in Italy and what a debut it turned out to be. He entered the pitch in the 83rd minute against Atalanta and just five minutes later he knocked in the equalizer, a feat that he visualized before it even happened.

Whether or not Morimoto ends up having a career that is even half as good as Ronaldo’s remains to be seen, but for a player that young to be earn a chance to play in Serie A is certainly a reason for Japanese fans to be excited for the future.

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Category: Asia, Serie A