A Stronger Presence──
Determined to Show a Commitment to Results
MF 8 Takahiro KO
Introducing all the blue and red warriors taking on the 2026 Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League in 'PLAYERS FILE 2026.' What thoughts do the players hold, and with what resolve are they preparing to face the year ahead, especially with the special half-season tournament approaching?
Takahiro KO, who commands the blue and red attack from the center of the pitch and has created rhythm for “Rikizo Tokyo.” Entering his third season with Tokyo, he has resolved to aim higher by involving those around him in order to become a truly strong team. The club has set winning the special tournament as a clear goal. Using the frustration from the 2025 season as a springboard, he aims for significant growth both for the team and himself.
The decisive third season with the blue and red begins. Finishing 11th in the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League, Takahiro KO channels the frustration of last season’s unfulfilled potential into giving his all for the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League.
It might be said that he carried a stronger sense of responsibility than anyone else. Overcoming the harshly critical first half of the season, when he bluntly stated the team was "not a group that can fight," they ultimately finished without a loss in the last six matches. While the team’s growth was evident, advancing to the Semifinal Round of the Emperor's Cup, many matches still ended without the desired results, leaving a lingering frustration.
"After the final whistle blew in the last match against Albirex Niigata, the feeling that 'it was a tough year' stayed strongly in my heart. Now, having gone through the pre-season camp, I’ve been able to switch my mindset, but it was a very frustrating year."
At the press conference announcing the new structure for the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, the club clearly set winning the championship as its goal. While this awareness is gradually permeating throughout the entire team, Takahiro KO is facing the current situation with a clear view of what is expected of him.
"I have to show a more overwhelming presence. Teams that win truly possess strength. Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI has also presented the goal of winning the championship, and we have no choice but to grow toward that goal."
What is needed is clear. Last season, even though the content was good, there were many matches where we couldn’t secure the results, and there was a time when confidence was about to waver. To seize victory at crucial moments and accumulate results, individual strength becomes indispensable, he emphasized.
"It is absolutely necessary to focus on results in order to accumulate even one more point. Each individual must become stronger, and the team exists as a collective of those individuals. The current team needs strength that cannot be easily overcome."
What I want to show as an individual is a relentless desire to win. I take the lead and raise the passion of the blue and red by involving those around me. During the practice matches at the Okinawa camp, I was seen fighting in midfield wearing the captain's armband. I have also received advice from Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI to broaden the range of my play, and I am determined to grow even further.
"I've always been told that if I can skillfully deliver the ball using space, my range as a player will expand even more. There's no doubt that if the defensive midfielders produce better numbers, we can rise higher, but I want to focus on the balance needed for the team to win without being pulled too much in that direction."
As a defensive midfielder and a player who leads the team, Takahiro KO, who upholds the standards of the blue and red, radiates passion at the center of the pitch.
(Honorifics omitted in the text)
Text by Takuro UEHARA (FOOTBALL ZONE Editorial Department)
