Ko Itakura

Ko Itakura was born on January 27, 1997, in Yokohama, Japan. In his homeland, he followed the youth academy at Kawasaki Frontale, where he also made his professional debut. He went on to play for Vegalta Sendai before signing for Manchester City in 2019. The Premier League club loaned him to FC Groningen and Schalke 04. In the summer of 2022, he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Since the summer of 2025, he has been playing for Ajax.

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Ko Itakura

58% Aerial duels

50% Ground duels

60% Tackle Accuracy

24% Forward passes

About Ko

Position Defender
Born 1/27/1997
Length 188 cm
Nationality Japan
Under contract until 6/30/2029
Played matches season 25/26:
Dutch Cup 1
UEFA Champions League 6
Headernw (1)

Ajax's World Cup representatives dream of eternal glory: 'Want to write a new chapter'

Four Ajax players are preparing for their second FIFA World Cup, which officially gets underway on Thursday, June 11. Wout Weghorst, Ko Itakura, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Josip Šutalo were all part of the tournament in Qatar in 2022 and now hope to make their mark once again on football’s biggest international stage. The quartet look ahead to the competition and shares their ambitions.

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Itakura Training1920

Ko Itakura makes his debut on the training pitch

Ko Itakura took to the training pitch on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the next match in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie: Go Ahead Eagles away. The training session was a special one for Itakura. The Japanese signing trained with his new team for the first time.

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Itakura Contract 1920

Ajax signs Ko Itakura

Ajax, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Ko Itakura have reached an agreement on the transfer of the defender to Ajax. The 28-year-old Japanese international has signed a four-year contract, running until June 30, 2029. The agreement includes an option for another year. In Germany, his contract had been due to run until June 30, 2026.

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Ko's Teammates