Ao Tanaka
田中 碧
#17 · Midfielder · age 27
Press-resistant central midfielder
Club
Leeds United
England · Premier League
Caps
30
Intl goals
2
70
WC26 rating
high confidence
- Recent form
- 56
- Career peak
- 56
- League level
- 100
- Competition pedigree
- 24
- International pedigree
- 74
- Longevity
- 40
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Tanaka is the press-resistant No. 8 alongside Endo, the player who absorbs pressure and recycles possession through midfield. His Premier League minutes against pressing opponents are exactly the preparation Group F demands.
Strengths
- Press-resistant first touch
- Tactical discipline alongside Endo
Recent form
Leeds regular in their 2025-26 Premier League return.
His goal against Spain in the Qatar 2022 group stage — the one that controversially stayed in play by millimeters — is the most-replayed VAR decision in Japanese football history.