Niko Takahashi, the boy who came to play the Under-20 World Cup with Japan but could play for Argentina in the future

He Sub 20 world It is usually the ideal environment for clubs from all over the world to observe exceptional young people with promising futures. But the Estadio Único de La Plata, with the victory of Japan against Senegal 1-0 at the start of group C, it was the scene of a curious extra dressing for the scouts and coordinators of the Argentine national team. Is that, in the Asian cast, the defender had as the protagonist Niko Takahashione of football’s most promising talents who has attracted the attention of many in attendance at the stadium and who still has the chance to defend the club’s shirt Argentina national team.

The phenomenon of young players arriving from different parts of the world with the possibility of playing for the national team seems to continue to grow. This is the case of Takahashi: a 17-year-old boy who works as a left-back in the Barcelona branch. His case is similar to that of Alejandro Garnacho as he has Argentinian roots, which creates the possibility of receiving a direct call from the Argentine Football Federation.

His father, Federico Cendagorta, is responsible for the union between his son and the world champion country. He was born in La Plata, but emigrated to Spain as a child in 1976, months after the military junta overthrew the government of María Estela Martínez de Perón, and recently returned to his homeland to support his son in the World Cup .

“I am very happy that Niko plays in the city where I was born.. I’m really excited, “said the footballer’s father in dialogue with TyC Sports from the stands of the Estadio Único de La Plata. Likewise, he admitted that he does not despair at the possibility that his son has of wearing the albiceleste”.I always say you have to live in the moment and in the present. The present and the reality is that Japan is betting on him, which makes me very happy“.

The young footballer was born on August 17, 2005 in Cornellá de Llobregat, Catalonia, after his father had an affair with Kaori Takahashi, his mother of Japanese descent. In this way, both for his origins and for his roots, the footballer who stands out in Barcelona has the possibility of representing three different nations, each from different continents: Argentina, Japan and Spain.

This is how the European Selection has already set its sights on him on one occasion. Given his good performances in the lower leagues of Culé’s team, he received the call to wear the shirt Spain Under 16though now He is part of the Japanese cast for this Sub 20 World Cup that takes place in the other nation that he carries in his blood.

In 2022 he was already present in the Asian Under-19 squad in the Esperanzas de Toulon tournament. In it, he came on as a substitute bench in what was the duel for fifth place in Japan against Argentina, in the debut tournament of Javier Mascherano -his possible future coach-, which ended in a victory for 3-2 for the Albiceleste.

Takahashi made his debut in this Under-20 World Cup at the Estadio Único de La Plata, his father’s hometown, and he did so by completing 90 minutes with a strong performance. And faced with this situation, his family did not miss the opportunity and was present in the stands wearing the shirt with his name, while they sang for him.

Given the encouragement he received, the footballer admitted that it was a special feeling knowing that his loved ones had the opportunity to see him play live. “I’m happy because my family was able to come and visit me. They supported me a lot from the outside, it’s the first time this has happened to me”, he confessed after the match.

But despite the blood his father gave him, Takahashi got to know Argentina for the first time in his life thanks to the possibility of the World Cup being hosted in the country. And the boy, a well-known Barcelona fan, doesn’t seem to want to neglect the experience. “The truth is that it’s a source of pride to be here, to get to know Argentina a little bit, a country that loves football a lot.”, he admitted to Tyc Sports after the victory with Japan.

The conditions shown with his left foot, added to a good performance driven by the high speeds he can reach, clarified the conditions of the player whose idol is Jordi Alba. They have attracted the attention of the different national teams and of Barcelona itself, which fought with Espanyol a few years ago to keep their rights.

However, Niko was carried away by his heart and never doubted the club in which he wants to fight for a professional place: “I remember one day we went to a restaurant for dinner with my parents and they told me that they had called those teams. I didn’t think twice. It’s that Barça is what I’ve been following since I was little“He recalled in a chat with Infobae.

Even the British newspaper Keeper It was another of the media who was already following in Niko’s footsteps at the time. When it was time to do the research to assemble a top 60 biggest hopefuls in the 2005 category, Takahashi was one of those selected to complement that list. “Light but strong, extremely composed in possession and quick in attack“, described the half-European.

And now? Although he has had the opportunity to start to be followed closely by the Argentine team, the defender has made clear his current intentions both at group and individual level.

“Our goal (Japan’s) has always been to win the World Cup. We will fight to the end to succeed”. And he closed his talk with Tyc Sports: “What happens next, will happen. Right now I’m only thinking about the Japanese national team“.