Kuryu Matsuki

Kuryu Matsuki grew up in Muroran, Hokkaido, and started out at Muroran Osawa FC before moving through Aomori Yamada Junior High School and Aomori Yamada High School, where he helped his side win the 2021 All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. He turned professional with FC Tokyo in 2022 and went on to make 71 league appearances for the club, scoring five goals. His performances there earned him the AFC Youth Player of the Year award for 2022, presented in late 2023.

In July 2024, Matsuki signed for Southampton on a four-year contract. He was loaned out almost immediately to Turkish side Göztepe for the 2024–25 season, where he featured 28 times in the league and scored twice, once against Sivasspor in the league and once against Gazişehir Gaziantep in the Turkish Cup. He also set up a goal against Çaykur Rizespor during the campaign. Göztepe, managed by Stanimir Stoilov, finished the season in 17th place in the Süper Lig.

At international level, Matsuki has been a regular fixture in Japan's youth setup, collecting 18 caps and four goals for the under-23s between 2021 and 2024, and 11 caps with four goals for the under-20s in 2022 and 2023. He received his first call-up to the senior national team for friendlies against Uruguay and Venezuela, though he had not yet made his senior debut by that point.