Zento Uno: Who is Borussia Mönchengladbach's new battling midfielder from Japan?
New Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Zento Uno is one of several Japanese players who have swapped the J1 League for the Bundesliga this summer. We bring you the lowdown on the 22-year-old, who has come a long way since making his senior debut…
Data correct as of 19 June 2026
Zento Uno
Age: 22 (born 20 November 2003)
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Defensive midfielder
Country: Japan (two caps)
Key stats
Born in Fukushima, Uno took his first steps as a footballer at Aomori Yamada Junior High School before joining J2 League outfit Machida Zelvia in 2022. He made his senior debut in a 1-1 draw with JEF United Chiba that April, but he managed just eight more appearances in his debut campaign after fracturing a metatarsal in two months later.
Incredibly, Uno suffered another metatarsal injury six games into the 2023 season, keeping him out of action until July. Undeterred, the young midfielder fought his way back into the first team, marking his return with an assist in a 4-1 Emperor’s Cup victory over Yokohama F Marinos before opening his goalscoring account with a double - including a last-minute equaliser - against Ventforet Kofu in October.
Uno struck again in a 3-0 win over Roasso Kumamoto two weeks later - one of five successive victories at the end of the season - to help Machida clinch promotion to the J1 League. However, the following campaign was another difficult one for the then 20-year-old, who made just four top-flight appearances before joining Shimizu S-Pulse on loan.
He made an immediate impact back in the J2 League, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 defeat by Vegalta Sendai before finding the net again in a 4-0 triumph over Thespa Gunma. Uno missed just two more games that season, and after playing a key role in S-Pulse’s promotion to the J1 League, he turned his loan move into a permanent one.
Having endured a tricky first top-flight campaign with Machida, Uno not only managed to establish himself as a J1 League regular with Shimizu in 2025 but was also handed his senior debut for Japan in a friendly victory over China in the 2025 East Asian Championship.
After making 28 club appearances in all competitions that season, Uno was made captain for the club’s J1 100 Year Vision League campaign the following year, registering a goal and two assists in 17 outings before securing a move to Gladbach.
Plays a bit like: Wataru Endo
Uno’s tenacity, work rate and all-round defensive abilities are reminiscent of former VfB Stuttgart man Endo, who made 133 appearances for the Swabians in all competitions before moving to Liverpool, where he won the English Premier League title in 2024/25.
Did you know?
Uno was classmates with current Southampton midfielder Karyu Matsuki, who - according to Uno - was always a step ahead of him on the football pitch.
Reflecting on his childhood rivalry with Matsuki, Uno said: “There wasn’t a single day in those six years [at school] that I was satisfied with myself. Whenever I played football I was frustrated with him. In that sense, his presence was a big factor in my development.”
What they're saying
“He’s honest, listens well to others and is very competitive. He has shown remarkable growth.” - Go Kuroda, Uno’s former coach in Aomori, in a 2021 interview
“Even before he entered junior high school, he would always act tough, saying: ‘I’m going to succeed no matter what.’ Although he didn’t show it on the surface, he was very competitive.” - Uno’s father, Kenichi, in 2021
“After two seasons in the J1 League and his first appearances for the Japan national team, a move to the Bundesliga is the next step in his career. With his character and determination, Zento has exactly what it takes to make that step successfully.” - Gladbach’s head of sport, Rouven Schröder
