Player of the season nominees: Ko Itakura

Ko Itakura is a candidate for Borussia’s Player of the Season for 2022/23, presented by Cichon Personalmanagement, alongside Jonas Hofmann, Lars Stindl and Marcus Thuram. Here is a closer look at Itakura’s season.

Ko Itakura is one of the four nominees for Borussia’s Player of the Season for 2022/23. The Japan international joined the club in summer 2022 from Manchester City, having been on loan at FC Schalke 04, where he had significantly contributed to the club’s promotion with his good performances. Without any previous Bundesliga experience, the 26-year-old quickly became a permanent player for Borussia, growing into a leader in defence. In his first appearance in the league, Itakura contributed an assist to a 3-1 victory against TSG Hoffenheim. Gladbach had one of the best defences in the Bundesliga at the start of the season (five goals conceded after seven games), largely due to his quality.

In September 2022, the defender suffered a ligament tear in his knee and was out for several months. There were doubts whether he would be available for the World Cup, but Japan’s national coach Hajime Moriyasu named Itakura in the squad despite his injury, which proved to pay off. Shortly before the start of the World Cup, the Gladbach player celebrated his comeback in the league game against Dortmund. In Qatar, Itakura picked up his good form again after injury and helped his team reach the last 16. On the way, Japan defeated both Germany and Spain 2-1, with the centre-back setting up the winning goal in the group match against Germany. Due to a yellow card suspension, Itakura missed the round of 16 game against Croatia, which Japan lost on penalties.

Back from the World Cup and winter break, Itakura repeatedly proved his quality and ball-playing ability. In his 24 Bundesliga appearances, he has started all but twice and wasn’t once substituted. Over the whole season, he had a pass rate of 91 percent and a tackling rate of 62 percent. Borussia’s number three also recorded one assist and had 1830 touches.

Ko Itakura is competing against Jonas Hofmann, Lars Stindl and Marcus Thuram to become Borussia’s Player of the Season. Voting closes next Monday (23:59 CEST) on the FohlenApp.