Kuryu Matsuki

Kuryu Matsuki (松木 玖生, Matsuki Kuryu; born 30 April 2003) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Southampton.

Kuryu Matsuki
松木 玖生

Personal information
Full name	Kuryu Matsuki[1]
Date of birth	(2003-04-30) 30 April 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth	Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	27
Youth career
2010–2015	Muroran Osawa FC
2016–2018	Aomori Yamada Junior High School
2019–2021	Aomori Yamada High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022–2024	FC Tokyo	71	(5)
2024–	Southampton	0	(0)
2024–2025	→ Göztepe (loan)	28	(2)
International career‡
2018	Japan U15
2019	Japan U16
2020	Japan U17
2023–	Japan U20	8	(3)
2021–	Japan U23	12	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Japan AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2022 Uzbekistan Team 2024 Qatar Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 05:18, 25 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 05:46, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Muroran, Hokkaido, Matsuki followed in his older brother's footsteps by joining local side Muroran Osawa FC.^[3]

Matsuki trained with French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in 2021.^[4] Following this trial, he returned to Japan to lift the 2021 All Japan High School Soccer Tournament for Aomori Yamada High School, scoring in both the semi-final and final.^[5]

FC Tokyo

Initially set to move to Europe to pursue a professional career, it was announced that Matsuki would sign for J1 League side FC Tokyo ahead of the 2022 season.^[6][7] Matsuki stated that a major influence on his decision to stay in Japan was current FC Tokyo player Yuto Nagatomo, who also started his career with Tokyo before moving to Europe.^[8]

In November 2023, Matsuki was named AFC Youth Player of the Year following an impressive season for FC Tokyo as well as captaining the national U-20 team.^[9][10]

Southampton

On 30 July 2024, Matsuki joined Premier League club Southampton on a four-year contract;^[11] he was subsequently sent on loan to Turkish side Göztepe for the 2024–25 season.^[11][12] Matsuki made his first appearance for Göztepe on 23 September 2024 in a 1–1 draw with Alanyaspor after he replaced Isaac Solet in the 79th minute.^[13] On 10 November 2024, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory against Konyaspor.^[14]

International career

Matsuki was called up to the Japan U-20 squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.^[15]

On 4 April 2024, Matsuki was called up to the Japan U23 squad for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.^[16]

Career statistics

As of 24 May 2025^[17][18]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Tokyo	2022	J1 League	31	2	0	0	0	0	—		31	2
	2023	J1 League	22	1	3	1	3	0	—		28	2
	2024	J1 League	18	2	1	1	1	0	—		20	3
	Total		71	5	4	2	4	0	—		79	7
Southampton	2024–25[19]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2025–26[20]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Göztepe (loan)	2024–25	Süper Lig	28	2	6	4	—		—		34	6
Career total			99	7	10	6	4	0	0	0	113	13

Honours

Japan U23

• AFC U-23 Asian Cup: 2024^[21]

Individual

• AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2023^[22]