Swimmer Turned Footballer Due to an Accident: The Hidden Story of Takehiro Tomiyasu

In the Tomiyasu household, sports are a central theme, with every family member excelling in different athletic disciplines. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents and sisters were all involved in various sports, setting a high bar for athletic achievement.

As a child, Takehiro was encouraged to follow in his sisters’ footsteps, leading his parents to enroll him and his siblings in a swimming school. Unfortunately, his swimming ambitions were cut short due to a serious accident. While preparing for a swim class one day, Takehiro and his sisters stopped by their grandmother’s house. There, a mishap occurred: Takehiro fell off a treadmill, injuring his mouth. The injury was severe enough that he needed stitches and made it difficult for him to even eat, let alone swim.

This setback meant that Takehiro had to abandon swimming, but fate had another plan for him. Enter Kanji Tsuji, a football coach who saw potential in the young boy. Tsuji approached Takehiro’s parents, advocating for a shift from swimming to football. Recognizing the opportunity, they agreed, and Takehiro embarked on a new path.

In this biography, we’ll explore how Takehiro Tomiyasu transitioned from his early sports experiences to becoming a prominent football player, thanks to the encouragement and vision of Mr. Kanji Tsuji.

Preamble:

In short, this biography covers the full story of a Japanese footballer who shifted his passion from swimming to football due to a mouth injury. His journey to success is driven by the challenges and rejection he faced as a child.

Our Takehiro Tomiyasu biography delves into his childhood, early life, and family, including his parents, Yasuko Tomiyasu, his sisters, and his girlfriend or future wife. Additionally, we explore his lifestyle, personal life, net worth, and more.

We start the story of Takehiro Tomiyasu by exploring his childhood and the sporting events that shaped his early years. We then move on to his adulthood, detailing how he rose to prominence in the world of football.

To give you a taste of the engaging nature of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s biography, we’ve included a photo gallery that chronicles his journey from boyhood to adulthood. Discover the visual story of his football career and the milestones that led to his success.

You might have thought that he looks older than his years, but despite this, he has earned the title of one of the best defenders to come out of Asia in recent times. His movement and game-reading skills are truly exceptional.

Despite the acclaim he’s received, only a few football fans know the full story of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s life. That’s why we’ve created this biography to shed light on his journey. So, without further delay, let’s dive in.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Childhood Story:

For Biography starters, he bears the nickname – Tomi. Takehiro Tomiyasu was born on the 5th day of November 1998 to his mother, Yasuko Tomiyasu.

The Japanese footballer’s birthplace is Fukuoka, a prefecture on Japan’s main island of Kyushu. This is the country’s most architecturally forward-thinking city.

Early Years and Growing Up:

Research has it that Toni came to the world as the youngest child of his family – otherwise known as – the baby of the house.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents had two other children – his two older sisters before him. Together, he comes from a household of five members.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Family Background:

In the house of the Japanese footballer, sports is a recurring decimal.

What does this mean?… It implies that all members of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s family – (be it his Dad, Mum and sisters) are all athletes. They specialize and have excelled in different sports.

Starting with his Takehiro Tomiyasu’s father, he is a professional in baseball and kendo. You might be conversant with the first sport – but not the second. Now let’s tell you more about the beloved Asian sport – Kendo.

According to our best friend (Google), this is a modern Japanese martial art that descends from swordsmanship.

This cool sport uses bamboo swords alongside other protective armour.

On the other hand, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s mother – also an athlete – excelled in track and field. Also in his sporting family are two older sisters, both professional swimmers.

Tomi’s earlier followed his sisters’ footsteps – but something happened along the line. Now, let’s tell you the story. Now, let’s tell you the unfortunate story.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Swimming Accident:

Early on, he agreed to join his sisters in their careers. That led to his parents enrolling him – together with his siblings in a swimming school.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for young Takehiko. His dreams to follow in his Sisters’ footsteps ended as soon as it could start. No thanks to a very unfortunate accident where the poor boy injured his mouth.

On that faithful day, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s sisters – including himself prepared for the sport – which is to take place at the swimming school. Away from the swimming class he was in who was in elementary school – at that time.

Just before they proceeded to the school, little Takehiro and his sisters decided to take a stroll to their Grandma’s house.

Sadly, an accident happened right inside Granny’s house – and poor Tomiyasu got injured. Narrating the story of the accident, Tomi told the media;

As I was riding a treadmill indoors, I fell and injured my mouth. I couldn’t put it in water for a while.

Tomi’s injury saw his mouth getting stitched. With that kind of injury, it was pretty difficult for Takehiro to get near a swimming pool- until he was completely cured. Again, it is even harder for him to chew food.

The truth is, that was how the whole swimming hobby died. Tomi never joined his sisters in their swimming careers. Rather, the boy took to football – all thanks to a Godsent – Mr Kanji Tsuji. We’ll tell you more about this – later in this Biography.

This man (Kanji Tsuji) is a football coach. He saw a hidden talent in the boy, hence decided to take immediate action.

He met Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents, pleading – that they should approve a football career for their son. Thankfully, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents agreed.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Family Origin:

Although he is of Japanese nationality, there is actually more to where the Arsenal defender comes from.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s family have their roots in Fukuoka, the 6th largest city in Japan (2015 stats). We know the city for its magnificent castles and a big Buddha temple.

As observed from the map below, Fukuoka separates Japan’s two historic cities – Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As always, the first thing to remember about these cities is the World War II atomic bombings. Also, the distance between Fukuoka and South Korea is 419 kilometres.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Ethnicity:

Thanks to data from PTL Global (a language portal), we could trace Takehiro Tomiyasu’s origin to this language dialect – Hichiku. We tie Japanese citizens who have their family roots in Fukuoka to this dialect key.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Education:

At the kindergarten level, Takehiro attended Tamsui Kindergarten Cosmo – in his hometown. Tomi’s parents approved of his studies there owing to his desire to mix studying with sports.

Moving on, the future football star attended Fukuoka City Sanchiku Junior High School. There, he also multitasked well (sports and education).

He then continued his education at Kyushu High School, which is affiliated with Kyushu Sangyo University.

For Tomi, the most memorable moment in his education was when he graduated from elementary school. Tomiyasu declared his dreams of becoming a professional footballer and building a house for my Mum and Dad. He wrote this on his graduation album.

The decision to become a footballer came – all thanks to the ability to use his speed to run with and without the ball. Takehiro Tomiyasu was able to pull out abnormal speed to win relay races even if he received a baton very late.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Biography – Untold Football Story:

The journey began during his Sanchiku elementary schooling days. It also started on a blessed day during his sports period.

Takehiro Tomiyasu ran at an amazing speed. He was faster than the average kid of his age. One man (Tsuji) by name watched and said this;

I saw an elementary school student running through a passage about 1.5 meters wide in front of the door at an amazing speed.

In fact, it was a way of running that I had never seen before. The boy ran like a wind.

Looking at the legs as he was running away, they were very thick. So, also had a premonition that he might not grow taller.

Fortunately, this man (Mr Kanji Tsuji) is the general director of Sanchiku Kickers. This is a local football club in Fukuoka – affiliated with Sanchiku Elementary School, which Tomi attends.

As Kanji took notice of the boy’s speed, he immediately requested his school allow him to meet Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents. Upon noticing the rare gem, the director told his subordinate the exact words;

Can you somehow put that child in Sanchiku Kickers?

Early Life in Career Football:

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents approved, and their beloved son got inducted into the team. From that moment, the general manager of Sanchiku Kickers (Mr Kanji Tsuji) gave little Tomi that fatherly support he needed – to lay a career foundation.

Rather than making him run endlessly, they educated Tomi on how to harness his speed with dribbling techniques. In fact, Mr Kanji Tsuji began enjoying the boy from that day. This is what the General Director said about the fast-paced child;

If Tomiyasu dribbles, there was probably no child in Fukuoka prefecture that can catch up with him.

The boy was horribly fast, and no kid wanted him as an opponent.

The Career Humble Beginnings:

Unlike his fellow teammates, Tomiyasu went the extra mile in training. The boy’s level of commitment saw him – even going the extra mile. For instance, he found other venues to train when his team was out of sessions.

When Sanchiku Kickers are on holiday, Tomi will go to nearby parks and train – for at least over 10 hours a day.  By doing that, he became far better than every kid footballer in the academy.

Even upon resuming training with Sanchiku Kickers (end of holidays), Tomi formed the habit of arriving early. The humble lad would come first to practice – hoping to help the academy staff set up the field for training- before his teammates arrived.

Thanks to his commitment, the hard worker would still be the last person to go home after training. Without being told, he still volunteers to help park training equipment and clean up the entire field from dirt.

Thereafter, he practised independently until 9 p.m. when it was late – before he went home to meet his family. Most of Tomi’s teammates had video games, but Sanchiku Kickers is the place where Tomiyasu’s base was cultivated. Sanchiku Kickers was his ideal home.

The Road to Fame Story:

The determination to succeed with Sanchiku Kickers led to the fast-paced child getting the call of his dreams – a trial with FC Barcelona. At age 11, Tomiyasu’s coach recommended him to a Barcelona Soccer Camp for trials.

As expected, Takehiro impressed FC Barcelona staff – at his trials and was approved to join FC Barcelona School Fukuoka School.

This is one of Barca’s Japanese Franchises that began operations in 2009. The branch in Fukuoka is one of four Barca academies in the country.

From this moment, Tomiyasu became aware of the football world – especially from the time he travelled (occasionally) to Spain.

With Barca, he began putting into good use everything he learned from Sanchiku Kickers. Tomi’s maturity also made him become captain.

While in Blaugrana colours, Tomiyasu learned more from Javier Mascherano – the footballer he idolised. As captain, he helped his team get to the finals – eventually winning the MIC (Mediterranean International Cup) in 2011.

For leading his U-11 teammates and being the best footballer in the tournament, Tomi got several recommendations to join La Masia. This is a term used for FC Barcelona’s youth academy – in Spain’s mainland. Only the best Japanese kids get such an opportunity.

The Barcelona Disappointment:

During that time, the club’s Japanese outlets in Fukuoka, Katsushika, Nara and Yokohama – all had issues with relocating their young footballers to Spain. Hence, it was difficult for young Tomiyasu — Takefusa Kubo – another Japanese footballer who suffered similar faith.

Because of regulatory issues towards youngsters, Barcelona found it difficult to activate Takehiro Tomiyasu’s relocation to Spain. It was a painful period not just for him, but for his family as well.

Because of the inability to fix regulatory issues, Barca suffered a colossal risk of losing talent. Takehiro Tomiyasu became a victim, and that made his parents decide on the need to search for another club for the son.

Moving On:

Following a failed FC Barcelona mainland move, the youngster got a recommendation to join Avispa Fukuoka. This is a much bigger academy – even bigger than Sanchiku Kickers. Over the years, they’ve earned a reputation for projecting her academy stars to Europe.

Initially playing in the midfield position, he later switched to a centre-back position. Even during his time with Avispa Fukuoka’s youth system, Tomiyasu served as a captain there. He impressed at the 2013’s JFA Premier Cup, where he got named in the Best Eleven.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Bio – Success Story:

In the year 2016, during his third year at high school, the rising star got his deserved promotion to Avispa Fukuoka’s senior team. Without waiting to graduate, Tomi was ready to unleash himself for Europe football. He made his J-League debut at the age of 17.

Two years later – in January 2018 – Tomiyasu got the call of his dreams – a move to Belgium’s first division club – Sint-Truiden VV.

Thanks to maturity, he settled well and helped the club with a 7th league position, their highest achievement in the past nine years.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s success didn’t end there. Sin-Truiden’s supporter club picked him as their best player of the season. The club’s management also handed to him a trophy – in recognition of his unparalleled success.

Life with Bologna FC:

The award won as the best player for his Belgium side (Sint-Truiden VV) meant one thing. That Tomiyasu’s mission in the country was complete and destiny, partially delivered. Next, the youngster decided to take another bold step in his career.

Around mid-2019, Serie A side – Bologna FC – completed the move to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu. Again, the Japanese footballer didn’t disappoint. It took Tomi only a few matches to smash his first goal for Bologna – a headed bullet.

The instant rise and rise of the Japanese defender made La Gazzetta dello Sport (an Italian sports newspaper) present him with a big honour.

They labelled Tomi, alongside Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappe, among the top five rising stars in World football.

Also, Tomi won an extra accolade for being among the top 20 European Wonder Kids of the 2020/2021 season.

The British Media – Talk Sports released this. After attaining big heights, including winning Bologna’s MVP, top European clubs began circling around him.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, whose reputation grew in geometric proportions, took no prisoners in his quest to announce his name to European scouts.

In his bid to boss occasions, big names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among those who felt the heat of his sublime tackles.

The Arsenal’s FC Acquisition:

After a poor start to the 2021/2022 Premier League season, Gunners coach Mikel Arteta became even more desperate to salvage the problems of his weak defensive back-line. He needed someone young – with a leadership mindset.

Pablo Mari, Rob Holding and Cedric Soares couldn’t deal with the barrage of goals from Sergi Canos‘ Brentford, KDB‘s Man City and Romelu Lukaku‘s Chelsea. Again, people like Ben White and Gabriel Magalhães were not available – at that time.

Looking for anything that could offer a better glimmer of hope, Arsenal’s management turned to Asia for the Japanese superstar – Takehiro Tomiyasu.

From being rejected by FC Barcelona as a child to marking Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Serie A, Takehiro Tomiyasu surely knows what it means to win and be successful in life.

Reports from the Guardian on Arsenal’s decision to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu while loaning Héctor Bellerín to Betis – seem justified.

The Japanese Baller, alongside fellow Asian stars (Kaoru Mitoma, Speedster Hwang Hee-chan), are on the verge of making a name for themselves in England. More importantly, following in the footsteps of fellow Asian Superstar Heung Min Son.

The rest, as we say of the Japanese footballer’s Biography, would forever be history.

Love Life:

For many Arsenal footballers, being able to find love and still maintain the tempo of the Premier League is the best feeling ever. Without question, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s success and personality can attract women who would aspire to be his girlfriend or wife.

While writing Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Biography, we notice he is yet to make his relationship public. Not even a clue from his social media. Just maybe, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents and management must have advised him to keep it that way – at least for now.

Personal Life away from playing football:

Away from everything football, the Japanese footballer enjoys other activities. Chiefly among Takehiro Tomiyasu’s hobbies are golfing and cooking (self-catering). Thanks to advice from his parents, he mastered the latter since after travelling abroad.

In the area of his personality, the Japanese defender is totally selfless. Tomi is someone who never ceases to surprise his fans with his selfless good deeds. He uses his fame for good – in helping a large number of kids – especially from Fukuoka, where he grew up.

The children above are kids of his alma mater – Sanchiku Elementary School. Takehiro Tomiyasu takes it upon himself to pass on the knowledge of football to these kids whom he believes can be better than him.

On the 12th day of May 2020, the management of his former club, Avispa Fukuoka, expressed their gratitude to Tomiyasu after he made a huge donation to their academy. The following month, Bologna (his old club) revealed that he had agreed to give up a month’s salary.

To understand Takehiro Tomiyasu’s personality, just think about combining both honesty and aspiration to succeed – in one’s life. Therefore, you just can’t hate him – and his kind personality is similar to Ngolo Kante.

Lifestyle:

One thing is constant. It is a fact that Tomi will keep avoiding glossy magazines whose mission is to make him flaunt wealth. Put simply, the Japanese defender lives a low-key lifestyle, and there is no such thing as showcasing exotic cars, mansions, etc.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Family Life:

From the onset, the Fast-Paced defender has always got independence. This comes from having educated parents who offer him the freedom and opportunities to learn and develop on the career of his choice – and not theirs. Here, let’s tell you more about them.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Father:

While conducting our research, we noticed he is the one with the dominant gene – which his son possesses. Takehiro Tomiyasu admits he inherited his speed and other of his sporting powers (majorly strength) from his Dad.

Honestly, you need to be fast, and you must have lots of speed in other to be successful in Kendo, the sport of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Dad.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Mother:

As the youngest of five family members, he received a lot of love from my parents – notably his Mum.

Managing a family made up of celebrity sportspersons (both active and retired) is not a straightforward job. Despite being a sports person herself, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Mum (Yasuko) makes managing her home and raising her children look easy.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Sisters:

There is a high possibility that if football had not worked out, Tomi (whose mouth has healed) would have considered following his sister’s trade – swimming. While their names or photographs remain unavailable, we sure know they are proud of the little brother.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Relatives:

During a match, Mr. Tsuji remarked that Takehiro was quietly positioning himself to steal the ball, much like his grandfather used to do. This was when Takehiro played as a midfielder for Sanchiku Kickers. Perhaps his grandmother had some football talent too!

Untold Facts:

Now in our last stage of writing their Biography, we’ll use this section to unveil more truths about the fast-rising Japanese defender.

The Big Honour – First Barca Academy Olympian:

Throughout its history, Barca Academy has had none of its academy stars representing their countries at the Olympics. The Tokyo 2020 football tournament has the likes of Eric Garcia and Takehiro Tomiyasu breaking that record.

Arsenal Salary in Japanese Currency:

While at Bologna, Tomiyasu earned around £13,000 a week. This salary equates to around £676,000 a year. As an Arsenal player, research has it he earns triple of his Bologna weekly wage.

Where he comes from, the average person working in Japan typically earns around 515,000 JPY per month. With that income, such a person would need to work for 11 years and six months to make Takehiro Tomiyasu’s weekly wages with Arsenal.

How Tomi celebrated his 21st Birthday:

He celebrated it in a very strange way, by hanging on a tree. This photo depicts what Takehiro Tomiyasu means by having his 21st birthday safely.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Religion:

A survey of his social media handle leaves no clue about his faith. However, our odds are in favour of Tomiyasu being an unbeliever. Japan is largely a non-religious country, accounting for 62% of unbelievers.

Takehiro Tomiyasu Profile:

There are very few defenders – ahead of him – in terms of his 85 potential ratings. They include the likes of; Trent Alexander-Arnold (England), Matthijs de Ligt (Dutch), Dayot Upamecano (France), Alphonso Davies (Canada) and Reece James (England) etc.

Conclusion:

Sometimes, having a date with destiny can come in the strangest of situations. Tomiyasu would never have been a professional footballer if he hadn’t run in the aisle of his school apartment. Again, if Tomiyasu hadn’t run at full speed to get the attention of Mr Kanji Tsuji.

Perhaps the Japanese star could have followed his older sister’s footsteps – in becoming a swimmer. A mouth injury he got at his Grandma’s house seemed like a disappointment. Fortunately, that injury became a blessing in disguise. It made him abandon swimming.

Understanding his commitment to becoming a professional, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s parents gave him all the necessary support.

It thought it meant approving his late homecoming (9 pm) from training. Today, every one of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s family reaps the fruits of his success.

Esteemed Biography readers, thank you for taking the time to digest this impressive memoir about Tomi. We care about accuracy and fairness – while delivering amazing Biographies of Japanese Footballers.

Please reach us if you notice anything that doesn’t look nice in this Biographical write-up. On a final note, kindly share your thoughts – in the comment section – on what you think about Takehiro Tomiyasu.