Ao Tanaka gets last laugh as well-known Leeds United villain dominated on world stage

Ao Tanaka has finally arrived at the 2026 World Cup, and everyone at Leeds United will be immensely proud.

Arriving at Elland Road as an unknown midfielder from Fortuna Dusseldorf back in 2024, he has become a hero in West Yorkshire.

Playing a key role for Daniel Farke, Tanaka starred as Leeds won the Championship at the second time of asking.

What followed was a contrasting season in the Premier League, but he ended the campaign as a consistent starter again.

That didn't lead to an immediate start at the World Cup, though, sitting on the bench unused as Japan drew 2-2 against the Netherlands.

Tanaka started and completed the entire match on Sunday morning, as the Blue Samarai smashed Tunisia 4-0 in Mexico.

Ao Tanaka wows on World Cup stage

There aren't many players who make Leeds fans smile more than Tanaka, with his infectious humbleness and energy.

It is why most fans in LS11 woke up with a huge smile on their faces on Sunday, when checking the results.

Tanaka completed 96 per cent of his passes in midfield, with only two of his 85 touches unsuccessful, via Sofascore.

He dominated defensively as well, winning all four of his defensive duels with just as many tackles.

That is even sweeter for Leeds fans, when you realise that Burnley dud Hannibal Mejbri was in midfield for Tunisia.

Why do Leeds fans dislike Hannibal so much?

This is a story that has bubbled on for many years now.

It started in the Championship when Mejbri goaded Leeds fans when being replaced in a 1-0 win for Burnley.

After years of chanting about his Manchester United roots, the midfielder took his opportunity to hit back at the home fans as he walked round.

That wasn't forgotten, and came to a head when Mejbri disgustingly spat at Leeds fans at Turf Moor last season.

He was eventually found guilty of that by the FA and was banned for four matches, and given it was proven, he was lucky it remained at that.

Spitting is among the lowest of the low, and Leeds fans will have revelled as many media outlets questioned whether this Tunisia outfit were the worst in World Cup history.

Mejbri was at the heart of that, committing three fouls and losing half of his total duels in midfield.

Tanaka was sensational, and the narrative behind it only makes it even better for everyone associated with Leeds United.