*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:04, 22 June 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 May 2023[4]
Niko Takahashi[5] (高橋仁胡, Takahashi Niko, born 17 August 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for FC Barcelona Juvenile B. Born in Spain, he is a Japan youth international.
Club career
Early career
Born in the Barcelona metropolitan area to a Japanese mother and Argentine father, Takahashi played futsal at a young age, before joining his first club FCB Peñas in La Floresta.[6][7]
He joined local side San Cugat before moving to Cornellà, where he attracted the attention of Espanyol, Girona and Barcelona.[6] He chose to sign with Barcelona, as he had supported the Catalan club since he was young, and joined in 2019.[8][9]
He signed a contract extension in September 2021.[9] A year later, in September 2022, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.[10]
International career
Takahashi is eligible to represent Spain, Japan and Argentina at international level. He was called up to the Japan under-16 team in 2020, but was unable to attend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][8] He also received a call up to the Spain under-16 team in May 2021, and has been approached by Argentina.[7][8][11][12]
^ ab"バルセロナが16歳DF高橋仁胡と契約延長! 今夏に飛び級でU-18チーム登録" [Barcelona extends contract with 16-year-old defender Niko Takahashi!]. news.yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). 2 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
^Kawabata, Akihiko (23 May 2022). "異色選出のU-19日本代表。多重国籍のバルセロナDF高橋センダゴルタ仁胡ら招集に見るJFAの戦略" [U-19 Japan National Team selected from a different color. JFA strategy seen in the convocation of multinational Barcelona defender Niko Takahashi Cendagorta and others]. goal.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 May 2022.