| 名和田 我空 Gaku Nawata | |
| Full Name: | Gaku Nawata |
| Birth Date: | 29 July 2006 |
| Birth Place: | Kagoshima, Japan |
| Currentclub: | Kamimura Gakuen High School |
| Clubnumber: | 14 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Youthyears1: | –2018 |
| Youthclubs1: | Konokawauchi SC[1] |
| Youthyears2: | 2018–2022 |
| Youthclubs2: | Kamimura Gakuen Junior High School |
| Youthyears3: | 2022– |
| Youthclubs3: | Kamimura Gakuen High School |
| Nationalyears1: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam1: | Japan U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 6 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 09:41, 21 November 2023 (UTC) |
Gaku Nawata (Japanese: 名和田我空; born 29 July 2006) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a striker.
Nawata began his career as a football player at Konokawuchi SC when he was an elementary school student. He achieved second place in the U-12 tournament in Miyazaki when he was in sixth grade.[2]
In 2018, he enrolled in Kamimura Gakuen, which is known for its excellence in football. He won the national junior high school tournament and was the top scorer.[3] And then, he skipped a grade to join the high school team, and he is still a key player there.[4] [5] [6] [7]
In 2022, he was first called up to the Japan U-16. At 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, he scored the most of all the players and led his national team to victory. He also won the MVP award for the tournament.[8] On 11 October, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[9]
In the same year, he has continued to represent Japan at 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In the first game at the knockout round, he scored the equalizer against Spain, but Japan conceded a goal later and ended up in defeat.[10]
International
Individual