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| Source=Mio Niigata Instagram Capture |
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| Source=Mio Niigata Instagram Capture |
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Japanese soccer is cheering for the appearance of another mixed-race goalkeeper.
Goalkeeper Mio Nagata (21, German name Mio Bakhaus), born to a Japanese mother and a German father, was named for the first time in the under-21 national team announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on the 29th (local time).
Like Oliver Kahn and Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), they will play Albania on the 5th, a friendly match against Latvia on the 9th, and qualifying for the 2027 European Under-21 Championship. The number 1 can be seen as reflecting the expectations of German soccer on Mio.
Mio, a 94-meter-tall goalkeeper, was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and flew to Japan, his mother's country, in his early teens, where he grew up on the prestigious Kawasaki Frontale youth team. Afterwards, he made his professional debut for Bremen in 2021 after playing for Alemania Aachen and Werder Bremen Youth.
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| Source=Mio Niigata Instagram Capture |
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| Source=Mio Niigata Instagram Capture |
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Mio, who showed rapid growth, received a lot of attention from the German and Japanese national teams. When Japanese national team coach Hajime Moriyasu visited the Wermen training site in February 2023, rumors spread that he could play for the Japanese national team. Mio once played for Japan's U-15 team.
The website of Germany's Bundesliga said Mio in 2024 is similar to German national goalkeeper Marc-Andre Terstegen (Barcelona), "He is tall, agile, and has excellent communication skills." I'm full of confidence in a one-on-one situation.
According to the Japanese soccer media 'Football Zone' on the 30th, Japanese soccer fans who heard the news 'Can't come to the Japanese national team anymore?', 'Amazing! He expressed interest in the goalkeeper who is really looking forward to it, saying, 'It's amazing that he's the No. 1 player for the German national team.'
Mio took over as the main goalkeeper this season under Bremen coach Horst Steffen. He started in the opening match of the German Bundesliga (1:4 losses) of the 2025-2026 season against Eintracht Frankfurt on the 23rd and also started in the second round of the Bundesliga against Bayer Leverkusen on the 30th.
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| Source=Mio Niigata Instagram Capture |
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Mio is immediately stepping on 'Tech' to join the German soccer A team, but there is a possibility that he will naturalize as a member of the Japanese national team in the case of Jens Kastrov (Mönchengladbach). Born to a Korean mother and a German father, Kastrov, like Mio, is a midfielder who has represented Germany by age and is set to play in the A-match in September by choosing the Korean national team.
Japanese soccer is actively using naturalized players to solve its current weakness, the goalkeeper problem. Currently, Team A's main gatekeeper is Suzuki Zaion (Parma), a Ghanaian Japanese born in the United States. Canadian-Japanese Alex Pisano (Nagoya) is also playing at the U-20 level. Pisano also participated in the East Asian Cup in July.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
