Yoshiaki Takagi

Yoshiaki Takagi is an attacking midfielder of Utrecht. He was born on 9 December 1992 in Yokohama, Japan.

Yoshiaki’s career took off in local Azamino FC, where the footballer trained and performed for the youth team.

In 2005, Takagi left his club for the academy of J. League Division 2 side Tokyo Verdy. The midfielder cruised through all youth levels of the system, took part in different junior competitions and made his way through to the main squad.

In the summer 2010, Yoshiaki penned a senior contract with the club and was given an opportunity to come on the pitch in the starting line-up. The footballer’s first professional season was a success, as he netted six goals in 43 fixtures.

In the summer 2011, the promising midfielder received a tempting offer from Eredivisie side Utrecht and sealed a deal with the club, where he took part in 20 fixtures and fired one goal as of November 2012.

From 2008 till 2009, Takagi was capped eight times and contributed one goal for the Japan national U-17 team. From 2010, the footballer has featured in three games for the national U-19 squad.