is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward for club Southampton and the Japan national team.
Matsuki began his senior career at FC Tokyo. In 2024, he joined English club Southampton. Matsuki spent the 2024–25 season on loan at Göztepe.
Club career
Early career Born in Muroran, Hokkaido, Matsuki followed in his older brother's footsteps by joining local side Muroran Osawa FC.
Matsuki trained with French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in 2021. Following this trial, he returned to Japan to lift the 2021 All Japan High School Soccer Tournament for Aomori Yamada High School, scoring in both the semi-final and final.
FC Tokyo Initially set to move to Europe to pursue a professional career, it was announced that Matsuki would sign for J1 League side FC Tokyo ahead of the 2022 season. Matsuki stated that a major influence on his decision to stay in Japan was current FC Tokyo player Yuto Nagatomo, who also started his career with Tokyo before moving to Europe.
In November 2023, Matsuki was named AFC Youth Player of the Year following an impressive season for FC Tokyo as well as captaining the national U-20 team.
Southampton On 30 July 2024, Matsuki joined Premier League club Southampton on a four-year contract; he was subsequently sent on loan to Turkish side Göztepe for the 2024–25 season. Matsuki made his first appearance for Göztepe on 23 September 2024 in a 1–1 draw with Alanyaspor after he replaced Isaac Solet in the 79th minute. On 10 November 2024, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory against Konyaspor.
On 12 August 2025, Matsuki made his debut for Southampton in a 1–0 away victory against Northampton Town in the EFL Cup after he replaced Damion Downs in the 63rd minute. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 August in a 3–0 away victory against Norwich City in the EFL Cup. On 24 February 2026, Matsuki scored his first league goals for the club in a 5–0 victory against Queens Park Rangers.
International career
Matsuki was called up to the Japan U20 squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. On 4 April 2024, he was called up to the Japan U23 squad for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
On 17 September 2026, Matsuki was named in the Japan senior squad to face friendlies against Uruguay and Venezuela before their Kirin Cup semi-final match against Ecuador. He scored on his debut in a 3–1 victory against Uruguay on 24 September 2026.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFC Tokyo2022J1 League3120000—3122023J1 League2213130—2822024J1 League1821110—203Total7154240—797Southampton2024–25Premier League000000—002025–26Championship2044121202862026–27Championship810020—101Total285414120387Göztepe (loan)2024–25Süper Lig28264——346 Career total12712147812015120
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsJapan202621Total21
Japan score listed first, score column indicates score after each Matsuki goal
+ List of international goals scored by Kuryu MatsukiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition124 September 2026Miyagi Stadium, Rifu, Japan1–03–12026 Kirin Challenge Cup
Honours Japan U23 AFC U-23 Asian Cup: 2024
Individual AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2023
References
External links