PROFILE | Takumi Minamino – Monaco’s unsung hero | OneFootball

There are flashier, more eye-catching forwards at Monaco: Maghnes Akliouche is a dazzling footballer and now a France international; Ansu Fati was once heralded as the great hope of Spanish football and is now on the comeback trail; and the likes of Folarin Balogun and Mika Biereth, both former Arsenal academy forwards, garner plenty of interest.

But there is no denying Takumi Minamino’s importance to this Monaco side. Last season, he was the most experienced player in a youthful Monaco side, and whilst he is timid in character, he led by example. Last season, he had a quietly consistent campaign (43 games, nine goals, five assists). He was trusted by Adi Hutter thanks to that consistency and level-headedness that has also made him a favourite under the Principality club’s new manager, Sébastien Pocognoli. Already this season, he has made 17 appearances, scoring four and registering three assists. There is a consistency in output but also in performance. It is a far cry from the player who really struggled when he first joined Monaco in 2022, scoring just once in 25 games.

ACL injury likely to sideline Minamino for much of 2026

Minamino addressed his form towards the end of last season. “I didn’t change anything, but football is like this – it is strange!” said the Japan international. Acclimatisation is a big part of it, however. “I feel comfortable living here. In life, it is important to be comfortable,” he said. That comfort is supplemented by trust, with the club handing him a new deal earlier this year, which ties him to the Principality club for another year, until the end of the 2026/27 season. “I want to stay as long as possible here,” he said upon the signing of the new deal.

He also spoke about Hutter’s trust, at the time, but he has also quickly earned that of Pocognoli, who has started the Japanese forward in two of his three Champions League encounters. In the big games, he leans on Minamino’s experience and consistency, and he rarely lets the Belgian down, even if he is a less flashy option than some of the alternatives. And in a squad full of exciting prospects, a player like Minamino is essential. The Principality club’s CEO, Thiago Scuro, has regularly emphasised that Monaco can’t carry passengers when it comes to the experienced players in the squad; they have to perform, and Minamino invariably does. A consistent 2025 is likely to be followed by a 2026 spent largely on the treatment table, following an ACL injury during the final game of the calendar year.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle