Ao Tanaka
Updated: Wikipedia source
Ao Tanaka (田中 碧, Tanaka Ao; born 10 September 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Leeds United and the Japan national team.
Infobox
Full name
Ao Tanaka
Date of birth
(1998-09-10) 10 September 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth
Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Height
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position
Central midfielder
Current team
Leeds United
Number
22
2001–2006
Saginuma SC
2007–2016
Kawasaki Frontale
Years
Team
2018–2022
Kawasaki Frontale
2021–2022
→ Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan)
2022−2024
Fortuna Düsseldorf
2024–
Leeds United
2019–2021
Japan U23
2019–
Japan
Tables
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition · Career statistics › Club
Division
Division
Club
Division
Season
Apps
League
Goals
League
Apps
League
Goals
National cup
Apps
National cup
Goals
League cup
Apps
League cup
Goals
Continental
Apps
Continental
Goals
Other
Apps
Other
Goals
Kawasaki Frontale
Kawasaki Frontale
Club
Kawasaki Frontale
Season
2018
League
J1 League
League
4
League
1
National cup
0
National cup
0
League cup
0
League cup
0
Continental
0
Continental
0
Other
–
Other
4
Total
1
2019
2019
Club
2019
Season
J1 League
League
24
League
1
League
1
National cup
0
National cup
1
League cup
0
League cup
4
Continental
1
Continental
1
Other
0
Other
31
Total
2
2020
2020
Club
2020
Season
J1 League
League
31
League
5
League
2
National cup
1
National cup
5
League cup
0
League cup
—
Continental
—
Continental
38
Other
6
2021
2021
Club
2021
Season
J1 League
League
20
League
1
League
0
National cup
0
National cup
0
League cup
0
League cup
—
Continental
1
Continental
0
Other
21
Other
1
Total
Total
Club
Total
Season
79
League
8
League
3
League
1
National cup
6
National cup
0
League cup
4
League cup
1
Continental
2
Continental
0
Other
94
Other
10
Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan)
Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan)
Club
Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan)
Season
2021–22
League
2. Bundesliga
League
29
League
1
National cup
1
National cup
0
League cup
—
League cup
—
Continental
—
Continental
30
Other
1
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Club
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Season
2022–23
League
2. Bundesliga
League
22
League
1
National cup
3
National cup
0
League cup
—
League cup
—
Continental
—
Continental
25
Other
1
2023–24
2023–24
Club
2023–24
Season
2. Bundesliga
League
30
League
7
League
4
National cup
1
National cup
—
League cup
—
League cup
2
Continental
0
Continental
36
Other
8
2024–25
2024–25
Club
2024–25
Season
2. Bundesliga
League
3
League
0
League
1
National cup
0
National cup
—
League cup
—
League cup
—
Continental
4
Continental
0
Total
Total
Club
Total
Season
84
League
9
League
9
League
1
National cup
—
National cup
—
League cup
2
League cup
0
Continental
95
Continental
10
Leeds United
Leeds United
Club
Leeds United
Season
2024–25
League
Championship
League
43
League
5
National cup
2
National cup
0
League cup
—
League cup
—
Continental
—
Continental
45
Other
5
2025–26
2025–26
Club
2025–26
Season
Premier League
League
12
League
2
League
0
National cup
0
National cup
0
League cup
0
League cup
—
Continental
—
Continental
12
Other
2
Total
Total
Club
Total
Season
55
League
7
League
2
League
0
National cup
0
National cup
0
League cup
—
League cup
—
Continental
57
Continental
7
Career total
Career total
Club
Career total
Season
211
League
24
League
14
League
2
National cup
6
National cup
0
League cup
4
League cup
1
Continental
4
Continental
0
Other
238
Other
27
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2018 | J1 League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | |
| 2019 | J1 League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| 2020 | J1 League | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 6 | |||
| 2021 | J1 League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 79 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 94 | 10 | ||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 30 | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 36 | 8 | |||
| 2024–25 | 2. Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 84 | 9 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 95 | 10 | ||||
| Leeds United | 2024–25 | Championship | 43 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 45 | 5 | |||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 2 | |||
| Total | 55 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 57 | 7 | ||||
| Career total | 211 | 24 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 238 | 27 | ||
Appearances and goals by national team and year · Career statistics › International
Japan
Japan
National team
Japan
Year
2019
Apps
2
Goals
0
2021
2021
National team
2021
Year
3
Apps
1
2022
2022
National team
2022
Year
13
Apps
2
2023
2023
National team
2023
Year
6
Apps
3
2024
2024
National team
2024
Year
6
Apps
2
2025
2025
National team
2025
Year
5
Apps
0
Total
Total
National team
Total
Year
35
Apps
8
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 8 | |
List of international goals scored by Ao Tanaka · Career statistics › International
1.
1.
No.
1.
Date
12 October 2021
Venue
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
Opponent
Australia
Score
1–0
Result
2–1
Competition
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.
2.
No.
2.
Date
2 June 2022
Venue
Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan
Opponent
Paraguay
Score
4–1
Result
4–1
Competition
2022 Kirin Challenge Cup
3.
3.
No.
3.
Date
1 December 2022
Venue
Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Opponent
Spain
Score
2–1
Result
2–1
Competition
2022 FIFA World Cup
4.
4.
No.
4.
Date
9 September 2023
Venue
Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany
Opponent
Germany
Score
4–1
Result
4–1
Competition
Friendly
5.
5.
No.
5.
Date
13 October 2023
Venue
Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan
Opponent
Canada
Score
1–0
Result
4–1
Competition
Friendly
6.
6.
No.
6.
Date
4–0
7.
7.
No.
7.
Date
1 January 2024
Venue
Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Opponent
Thailand
Score
1–0
Result
5–0
Competition
Friendly
8.
8.
No.
8.
Date
21 March 2024
Venue
Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Opponent
North Korea
Score
1–0
Result
1–0
Competition
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 12 October 2021 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan | Australia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 2 June 2022 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan | Paraguay | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup |
| 3. | 1 December 2022 | Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Spain | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 4. | 9 September 2023 | Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany | Germany | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 5. | 13 October 2023 | Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan | Canada | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6. | 4–0 | |||||
| 7. | 1 January 2024 | Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Thailand | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 21 March 2024 | Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | North Korea | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
References
- Includes Emperor's Cup, DFB-Pokal, and FA Cup
- Includes J. League Cup and EFL Cup
- Appearances in AFC Champions League
- Appearance in Japanese Super Cup
- Appearances in 2. Bundesliga promotion play-offs
- www.jfa.jphttp://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u24_2021/member/TANAKA_Ao.html
- "EFL Squad List: Season 2024/25"https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets.gc.eflservices.co.uk/9b015b30-e880-11ef-8abf-f91ad331f5ec.pdf
- "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Japan (JPN)"https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce44/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf
- "Ao Tanaka's early life, childhood and career in Japan"https://piece-of-japan.com/entertainment/soccer-football/ao-tanaka-earlylife-childhood.html
- J1デビュー弾の田中碧、どん欲な姿勢が実を結んだ瞬間「今までの人生で一番楽しかった時間」http://www.goal.com/jp/%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9/j1%E3%83%87%E3%83%93%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E5%BC%BE%E3%81%AE%E7%94%B0%E4%B8%AD%E7%A2%A7%E3%81%A9%E3%82%93%E6%AC%B2%E3%81%AA%E5%A7%BF%E5%8B%A2%E3%81%8C%E5%AE%9F%E3%82%92%E7%B5%90%E3%82%93%E3%81%A0%E7%9E%AC%E9%96%93%E4%BB%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AE%E4%BA%BA%E7%94%9F%E3%81%A7%E4%B8%80%E7%95%AA%E6%A5%BD%E3%81%97%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E6%99%82%E9%96%93/1s3qeq9kfvg7c13gzvvfd2y3ob
- "2019 J.LEAGUE Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20191208144457/https://www.jleague.jp/release/post-62206/
- kickerhttps://www.kicker.de/fortuna-verpflichtet-tanaka-808343/artikel
- "Ao Tanaka signs a 3-year long contract with F95"https://www.f95.de/aktuell/news/profis/detail/29221-fortuna-verpflichtet-ao-tanaka-fest/822131717e7e27af55e3e7960be899b2/
- www.leedsunited.comhttps://www.leedsunited.com/en/news/ao-tanaka-signs-for-leeds-united
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5869607/2024/11/22/ao-tanaka-leeds-united-midfield-undroppable/
- BBC Sporthttps://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/cly7e31r213t
- www.leedsunited.comhttps://www.leedsunited.com/en/news/2024-25-goal-of-the-season-ao-tanaka
- BBC Sporthttps://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/c14xy52vg71t
- Yahoo Sportshttps://sports.yahoo.com/article/2024-25-goal-season-ao-064400974.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFTQq9UEanFTmHatTXIrKhFHeMAwlc4KLOb2aWyubrW7gpfRC0Ntiu3mCD0heobU2Oi59k0YXSwjP6e1lR1vmkPoYcvSs_bSbQ1uNbybPOwrRRDd8tVDYzb5qxUtnanll7fjuMY4BFvxfu2FFID_OhBcjSczcEzi9Ivke_ZvwSzi
- www.leedsunited.comhttps://www.leedsunited.com/en/news/2024-25-players-player-of-the-year-ao-tanaka
- EFLhttps://www.efl.com/news/2025/april/27/see-who-made-the-efl-team-of-the-season-line-ups/
- BBC Sporthttps://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cn72j7jr35go
- https://www.google.com/search?surl=1&safe=active&q=leeds+vs+chelsea&rlz=1C1ONGR_en-GBGB1178GB1178&oq=leeds+vs+che&pf=cs&https://www.google.com/search?surl=1&safe=active&q=leeds+vs+chelsea&rlz=1C1ONGR_en-GBGB1178GB1178&oq=leeds+vs+che&pf=cs&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
- www.msn.comhttps://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/football/epl-2025-26-ao-tanakas-late-goal-seals-dramatic-3-3-draw-for-leeds/ar-AA1RRyZd
- "Ao Tanaka JFA Profile"https://www.jfa.jp/eng/samuraiblue/member/tanaka_ao.html
- "U-22 Japan National Team comes from behind to win over Brazil"https://www.jfa.jp/eng/news/00023119/
- "FIFA Match Center - Saudi Arabia vs Japan"https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers/afc/match-center/400181525
- "FIFA Match Center - Japan vs Australia"https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers/afc/match-center/400181530
- "Japan World Cup 2022 squad: Team announced for tournament in Qatar"https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/japan-world-cup-2022-squad-hajime-moriyasu-names-his-latest-squad
- The National Newshttps://www.thenationalnews.com/fifa-world-cup-2022/2022/12/01/japan-produce-thrilling-comeback-to-stun-spain-and-make-world-cup-last-16/
- Associated Press Newshttps://web.archive.org/web/20221222152611/https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-middle-east-international-82a14c07535319540767aaae1f1ce6e5
- Sports Graphic Numberhttps://archive.today/20230822051828/https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/855640
- www.mirror.co.ukhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/japan-world-cup-mitoma-tanaka-28652302
- News Post Sevenhttps://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20221202_1818602.html
- Yomiuri Shimbun Onlinehttps://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/soccer/worldcup/20221208-OYT1T50248/
- Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-https://www.amazon.co.jp/J1-J3%E9%81%B8%E6%89%8B%E5%90%8D%E9%91%91%E3%83%8F%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E7%89%88-2018-NSK-MOOK/dp/4905411521
- Ao Tanaka at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 June 2021.https://int.soccerway.com/players/-/474859/
- Soccerbasehttps://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=127210&season_id=157
- Soccerbasehttps://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=127210&season_id=158
- Soccerbasehttps://www.soccerbase.com/tournaments/tournament.sd?tourn_id=2108
- "Yokohama F.Marinos' Teruhito Nakagawa awarded MVP! Iniesta named in Best XI and Villa wins Best Goal Award"https://www.jleague.co/en/news/yokohama-fmarinos-teruhito-nakagawa-awarded-mvp-iniesta-named-in-best-xi-and-villa-wins-best-goal-award/
- "[J.League Awards] Michael Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol) crowns the MVP to be the eighth top scoring player to double. Kawasaki Frontale produce nine members in the Best Eleven Players"https://www.jleague.co/news/jleague-awards-michael-olunga-kashiwa-reysol-crowns-the-mvp-to-be-the-eighth-top-scoring-player-to-double-kawasaki-frontale-produce-nine-members-in-the-best-eleven-players/
- "Récompenses de l'année 2019"https://web.archive.org/web/20201026105052/https://festival-foot-espoirs.com/smartphone/festival/recompenses.php
- "Maurice Revello Tournament 2019 Best XI"https://festival-foot-espoirs.com/en/festival/detail_actualite.php?id=4410
- Sky Sportshttps://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13414711/liverpools-mohamed-salah-and-arsenals-mariona-caldentey-win-pfa-player-of-the-year-awards-for-2024-25