'Beautiful Actress and a Massive Scandal' Shocks the Nation! Japan Captain Itakura Caught in 'Secret Romance' with Haruna... 'CM Queen' Flies to the Netherlands

*This content was translated by AI.

Itakura Ko (29), who served as captain of the Japanese national football team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, has been embroiled in dating rumors with popular actress Kawaguchi Haruna (31).

Japan's 'Weekly Bunshun' reported on the 18th that "Itakura and Kawaguchi have been dating since last year." According to the media, the two were spotted together multiple times in Japan, including enjoying drive dates in central Tokyo.

Additionally, Kawaguchi traveled directly to the Netherlands to meet Itakura after he transferred to Dutch club Ajax in August last year. An acquaintance of Kawaguchi stated, "Early in their relationship, Kawaguchi went all the way to the Netherlands just to see Itakura."

Currently, neither party's agency has issued any official statement regarding the dating rumors surrounding Itakura and Kawaguchi.

Itakura is a central defender with excellent physical attributes at 188cm and strong build-up capabilities. After joining English Premier League club Manchester City in 2019 to make his European debut, he proved his competitiveness as a key player for Groningen (Netherlands), Schalke 04, and Borussia Mönchengladbach (both Germany). In August last year, he donned the jersey of Dutch powerhouse Ajax.

His strength lies in man-to-man defense utilizing his tall stature. He demonstrates solid defending not only in aerial duels and headers but also in ground battles across both the Bundesliga and Eredivisie. Possessing the meticulousness characteristic of Japanese players, he shows strong ball control and build-up play from the back. Although a center-back, he has a strong forward presence, often seen advancing with the ball to the midfield area to distribute passes.

As a key defender for the Japanese national team, Itakura even wore the captain's armband at the North American World Cup. He became a topic of discussion after shedding tears immediately following the 32nd-round loss to Brazil, stating, "This is not a team that should end like this."

Kawaguchi has been crowned the 'CM Queen,' ranking first in Japan for advertising model usage since 2022. She has appeared in major productions such as the NHK taiga drama 'The Giraffe Came' and Fuji TV's 'Silent.'

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*This content was translated by AI.