How a car park training session fueled a Premier League champion
In short: Before he was scoring for Liverpool, Takumi Minamino was practicing dribbling around cones in an Osaka car park. Inspired by the legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo, the Japanese winger transformed childhood drills into a professional career that spanned the Austrian Bundesliga and the English Premier League.
Takumi Minamino’s ascent to the top of European football began with a foundation of disciplined, repetitive practice in Izumisano, Osaka. Growing up, Minamino used his father’s car park as a training ground, navigating around cones to mimic the feints and finishing of Ronaldo, the 2002 World Cup top scorer. This early dedication was supplemented by the influence of his older brother, Kenta, and the high-level competition within the Cerezo Osaka academy, where he trained alongside established players like Shinji Kagawa.
His professional trajectory was marked by rapid, prolific scoring at the youth level. By 2010, he was scoring hat-tricks for Cerezo's U15 side, and by 2011, he had become a standout in the Takamadomiya Cup, netting thirteen goals in the J Youth Cup. This talent earned him the J.League Best Young Player award in 2013, following a season where he famously struck a 20-yard 'piledriver' into the net during a friendly against Manchester United.
The middle chapter of his career saw a dominant period at Red Bull Salzburg. After joining the Austrian club in January 2015, Minamino became a central figure in a dynasty that secured five consecutive league titles. His time in Austria was characterized by significant European breakthroughs, including helping Salzburg reach the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in the 2017–18 season. This period of sustained excellence eventually triggered a £7.25 million release clause, facilitating his historic move to Liverpool in January 2020, where he became the first Japanese player to represent the club and secured a Premier League title in his debut season.
Despite the highs, his journey has been tempered by physical challenges, including MCL and ligament injuries that have occasionally sidelined him. Nevertheless, his ability to perform on the grandest stages—from the AFC Asian Cup finals to the FIFA World Cup—solidifies his status as a cornerstone of the Japan national team.
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