Takumi Minamino won’t be lacing up his boots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He’ll be there anyway.
The 31-year-old AS Monaco forward, sidelined since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in December 2025, has joined Japan’s national team in a non-playing mentor capacity.
From the pitch to the sideline, by design
When Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu announced the preliminary 2026 World Cup squad on May 15, Minamino’s name was notably absent. So was Kaoru Mitoma’s.
Moriyasu didn’t just move on. He went to AS Monaco and negotiated directly for Minamino’s release to travel with the team, not as a player, but as something harder to define on a roster sheet.
