Gaku Nawata: Is Japan's high school Dybala headed straight for Europe?

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There has been a tendency that has certainly been noted by European football fans. More and more Japanese talents are directly moving from school to Europe. Several talents like Shio Fukuda or Anrie Chase headed to Europe without previously playing in the J1 League. Both Fukuda and Chase headed to Germany, where they are playing for reserve sides of Bundesliga clubs with the hope of breaking into the first team. Gaku Nawata from the Kamimura Gakuen High School could be the next player to move directly to Europe.

Only 171cm tall, the forward was one of the most important players of Japan’s U17 national team that won the Asian Cup in Thailand last summer. Nawata won the Golden Boot with five goals and was voted the best player of the tournament. The striker also scored two goals in the 3-0 win over South Korea.

Surprisingly, the forward wasn’t always the starter at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia, and Rento Takaoka (Nissho Gakuen High School) was the top scorer with four goals. Japan was eliminated in the round of 16 against Spain (1-2). Nawata scored to make it 1-1, and briefly, there was some hope that Japan could turn the game around.

Although there are several very talented players in Nawata’s age group, he is the one to score the important goals. Wearing the no.14 for Kamimura Gakuen High School, Nawata can play as a second striker, no.10, but also on both wings. Although not very tall, Nawata has the ability to operate in tight spaces, is a very good dribbler, and a good feeling for the ball. Playing in the Prince Takamado U18 Premier League West, Nawata has managed nine goals and six assists in 15 games.

Nawata’s favorite team is Liverpool, and his dream is to play in the Premier League. As for his favorite player? That would be Roma forward Paulo Dybala. Nawata certainly has the confidence to follow in Dybala’s footsteps. “My goal is to play for the senior national team,” Nawata said to journalists after winning the Asian Championship. “I can’t be satisfied with playing just for the U17.” Nawata will be 20 at the 2026 World Cup in North America.

From High School to Europe? Nawata’s future remains open

There has been a long debate in Japan on what is the best path for talented players. Kaoru Mitoma, for example, studied at Tsukuba University and collected experience at Kawasaki Frontale before heading to Europe to play at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium before becoming a star in the Premier League with Brighton. Indeed, Nawata still remains open about which path he will choose after he finishes high school. Will he first go to a J-League club to collect experience? Study and develop at a university team? Or go straight to Europe? For now, he has one more year to decide.

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2006 and 2007. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.