'Japanese Messi' Kubo leaves Real Madrid to join Real Mallorca on a one-year loan.
The attack-minded player spent four years in the Blaugrana’s La Masia youth academy but had to leave the club in 2015 when Barcelona were sanctioned for signing underage players illegally.
Kubo, who has been nicknamed ‘the Japanese Messi’, then signed for FC Tokyo but he celebrated his 18th birthday earlier this month and was subsequently available to return to European football - with Madrid pouncing.
Kubo spent the whole preseason working with Zinedine Zidane and earn rave reviews from everyone it seems but the first-team coach.