My Take
Honestly, Keisuke Honda is one of those guys you can't help but root for even when he's being insufferable, and I mean that as a compliment. The man wore the number 10 at AC Milan, scored at three straight World Cups, and bossed Japan's midfield with this swagger that always read as ten percent talent, ninety percent sheer belief. I love that he refuses to fade quietly: retiring from the national team just meant picking up a wild side gig managing Cambodia, pouring money into hundreds of startups, and somehow still lacing up for a club in Bhutan. The "big mouth" reputation could be obnoxious, but he keeps backing it up, and there's something genuinely inspiring about a guy who wrote "be the best in the world" as a kid and then actually went and chased it. Pure restless ambition.
Overview
Keisuke Honda is a Japanese professional soccer player born on June 13, 1986, in Settsu, Osaka. He built his career at clubs including Nagoya Grampus, VVV-Venlo, CSKA Moscow, and AC Milan, where he wore the iconic No. 10 shirt. As a Japan national team midfielder and captain, he scored in three consecutive FIFA World Cups — a first for a Japanese player — and was named MVP as Japan won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. After retiring from the national team in 2018, he expanded into entrepreneurship, investing in over 200 companies through KSK Angel Fund and raising approximately 15.3 billion yen through his venture capital firm X&KSK.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Keisuke Honda
- Name (Japanese)
- 本田圭佑
- Reading
- ほんだけいすけ
- Born
- June 13, 1986 (age 39)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Tiger
- Origin
- Settsu, Osaka, Japan
- Blood type
- AB
- Height
- 182 cm
- Agency
- Independent (KSK Group / X&KSK)
- Agency history
- Nagoya Grampus (2004–2008)
VVV-Venlo (2007–2010)
CSKA Moscow (2010–2013)
AC Milan (2014–2017)
CF Pachuca (2017–2018)
Melbourne Victory (2018–2019)
SBV Vitesse (2019–2020)
Botafogo (2020)
Neftchi Baku (2021)
Paro FC (2024) - Active years
- 2004–present
- Occupation
- Soccer player / Entrepreneur / Soccer coach / Sports commentator
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Settsu Municipal Torikai Kita Elementary School
- Junior high
- Settsu Municipal Fourth Junior High School
- High school
- Seiryo High School, Ishikawa Prefecture
- University
- Did not attend university
- Debut
- 2004 — Turned professional with Nagoya Grampus; official debut in the Nabisco Cup on July 24, 2004
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth Championship Runner-up (Seiryo High School)
- 2011 AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player
- 2011 Japan Football League Footballer of the Year (first winner based at an overseas club)
- 2011 AFC Asian Cup Champion (Japan national team)
- 2013 Russian Premier League Champion (CSKA Moscow)
- 2014 FIFA World Cup first Japanese player to score in three consecutive tournaments
- 2015 AFC Asian Cup Group Stage Best Eleven
- 2023 AFC Asian Cup All-Time Best Eleven (only Japanese player selected)
Timeline
- 2004Turned professional with Nagoya Grampus; made official debut in the Nabisco Cup
- 2007Transferred to VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands
- 2010Transferred to CSKA Moscow in Russia; scored two goals at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, helping Japan reach the Round of 16
- 2011Led Japan to the AFC Asian Cup title and was awarded the tournament MVP
- 2014Joined AC Milan in Italy, wearing the No. 10 shirt; captained Japan at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil
- 2017Transferred to CF Pachuca in Mexico
- 2018Appeared at the FIFA World Cup in Russia; became the first Japanese player to score in three consecutive World Cups; announced retirement from the national team
- 2018Appointed General Manager (de facto head coach) of the Cambodia national football team
- 2020Established KSK Angel Fund, expanding investment activities in earnest
- 2024Signed with Paro FC in Bhutan, competing in his 10th national league; venture capital firm X&KSK completed fundraising of approximately 15.3 billion yen
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Misako Honda (married July 22, 2008)
- Children
- 3 children (eldest son born 2012, daughter born 2014, second son born 2016; names are private)
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Hobbies
- Investment and startup support
- Soccer coaching
Specialties
- Free kicks
- Long-range shots
- Two-footed play
Motto
Learn as though you will live forever. Live as though you will die tomorrow.
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National team | Japan national football team | Midfielder / Captain | 2006 |
| Club | CSKA Moscow | Midfielder — Russian Premier League champion | 2010 |
| Club | AC Milan (No. 10) | Midfielder | 2014 |
| Tournament | FIFA World Cup — South Africa | Japan national team — 2 goals, Round of 16 | 2010 |
| Tournament | AFC Asian Cup — Qatar | Japan national team — MVP, Champions | 2011 |
| Tournament | FIFA World Cup — Brazil | Japan national team — Captain | 2014 |
| Tournament | FIFA World Cup — Russia | Japan national team — first Japanese player to score in three consecutive World Cups | 2018 |
| Investment | KSK Angel Fund (200+ companies) | Founder | 2020 |
| Coaching | Cambodia national football team General Manager | General Manager and de facto head coach | 2018 |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://keisuke-honda.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/keisukehonda/
- Xhttps://twitter.com/kskgroup2017
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%AC%E7%94%B0%E5%9C%AD%E4%BD%91
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.