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Japanese in Europe
Tiago Bontempo – one of JSoccer Magazine’s experts on Japanese players overseas – gives us this list of Japanese players in Europe this season … (do you see any missing? Please advise)… Tiago gave us his Top Ten Japanese in Europe in JSoccer Magazine Issue 12 – excellent to read.
I believe that more players will go to Switzerland in the near future, and there will be a return to Holland for some? What do you think?
Akira Kaji going to Chivas in USA may show the way for more older (nearing retirement) or younger (without contract offers?) players to go to “the States”. A few more heading to Australia soon, too?
GERMANY – Bundesliga
Atsuto Uchida – Schalke 04
Gotoku Sakai – Stuttgart
Genki Haraguchi – Hertha Berlin
Hajime Hosogai – Hertha Berlin
Hiroki Sakai – Hannover 96
Hiroshi Kiyotake – Hannover 96
Makoto Hasebe – Eintracht Frankfurt
Takashi Inui – Eintracht Frankfurt
Shinji Kagawa – Borussia Dortmund
Shinji Okazaki – Mainz
Yuya Osako – Cologne
Kazuki Nagasawa – Cologne
GERMANY – Bundesliga 2
Hiroki Yamada – Karlsruher
Yusuke Tasaka – Bochum
GERMANY – 3rd Division
Mitsuru Maruoka – Borussia Dortmund B
ENGLAND
Ryo Miyaichi – Arsenal
Maya Yoshida – Southampton
ITALY
Keisuke Honda – AC Milan
Yuto Nagatomo – Inter Milan
SPAIN – Primera Liga
Mike Havenaar – Córdoba
SPAIN – Division 2
Sotan Tanabe – Sabadell
SPAIN – Division 3
Yukiya Sugita – Hércules
PORTUGAL – DIvision 1
Junya Tanaka – Sporting
PORTUGAL – DIvision 2
Mu Kanazaki – Portimonense
SWITZERLAND
Yuya Kubo – Young Boys of Berne
Yoichiro Kakitani – FC Basel
BELGIUM
Eiji Kawashima – Standard Liège
Yuji Ono – Standard Liège
HOLLAND – Division 2
Yuki Otsu – VVV Venlo
RUSSIA
Takafumi Akahoshi – FK Ufa
POLAND
Takuya Murayama – Pogon Szczecin
Shohei Okuno – Pogon Szczecin
ROMANIA
Takayuki Seto – Astra Giurgiu
Going . . . Going . . . Gon! Masahi Nakayama Retires.
Going . . . Going . . . Gon! Masahi Nakayama Retires.
Masashi Nakayama, Jubilo Iwata and Japan legend – with a few appearances for Consadole Sapporo thrown in for good measure – announced his retirement this week, at the age of 45, his body, in his own words – in a nutshell – not responding any longer! The player managed a couple of minutes as a substitute in Consadole’s final match as his swansong, but held back the announcement until Tuesday. I find that interesting, since the J.League Awards on Monday night feted ex-Jubilo players Makoto Tanaka and Toshiya Fujita on their retirement. Did Nakayama not want to take their moment, or did he want his own later in the week!?
Nakayama – affectionately known as “Gon” is the J.League’s all-time leading scorer, with 157 goals, and also holds a few other records in the Japanese – and world – game. He was Japan’s first-ever scorer in World Cup Finals, with
his 74th minute strike in the 2-1 defeat to Jamaica at France 1998. Incidentally, he then broke a bone in his leg later in the match, but the full extent of his injury was not known until he completed the game!
“Gon” notched 21 goals in 53 internationals for Japan between 1990 and 2003, and 235 goals for Jubilo Iwata (also including four seasons pre-Jubilo Iwata as Yamaha Motors) in almost 500 appearances. In 1998 he was J1’s top scorer with 40 goals, which included a streak of hat tricks (in fact four and five goal hauls) in four successive games, and he holds the record for the fastest ever international hat trick – scoring three goals in 183 seconds against Brunei in 2000!
He was a popular character with fans and fellow players alike and was always good for a quote after a game, win or lose, and often talked to the fans via megaphone after a win. There should be more like him – bringing fun to the game, while enjoying life.
For me, the biggest memory of “Gon” that I will ever hold is watching live TV in Kobe, Japan, in the dark hours of the night of October 28th, 1993, and the enduring image of the player collapsing to the ground as he realised that Japan were not going to the World Cup, USA 1994. The game I was watching – Japan against Iraq, in Doha, went into injury time with Japan leading 2-1 and heading to USA. The rest is history. It became known as the Doha Tragedy (ドーハの悲劇 Dōha no higeki), as Japan gave away the ball in the middle of the pitch, Iraq advanced, gained a corner and scored from it! The draw sent both teams out and South Korea went to USA 1994. Incidentally, Korea also has a name for this event – the Miracle of Doha (도하의 기적/도하의 奇跡 or Doha ui Gijeok to give it its Korean name) . . . Going . . . Going . . . Gon!
Calvin Jong-a-Pin interviews post-Nabisco Cup FInal
Calvin Jong-a-Pin on the Nabisco Cup Final, and the future of S-Pulse.
JS: How did you feel about the game in general?
CJ: Kashima just played deep and defensive, looking for counter-attacking opportunities. This was their plan – to sit back and defend. They showed that they were afraid of us by taking Dutra out of the starting line-up, but we had trouble creating anything despite our good possession. We must have had 30 crosses into the box but none got to the strikers’ heads!
JS: Yes, indeed, plenty of the ball, but no end product was the story of the day for S-Pulse.
CJ: We dominated the play often, Antlers just defended and defended and waited for a mistake or a counter, so it’s too bad and our own fault in the end that we couldn’t do something with all that possession. It was very disappointing. WE did not take the chances- or half-chances when they came, but we are a young team and we have to learn through this experience. If the management of S-Pulse manage to keep this team together we will do a lot of great things in the future.
JS: How did you approach the game once it had started?
CJ: Osaka is a very good player, very sharp, good running and angles and I had to be on top form to mark him, and I think, with the help of Hiraoka, of course, as we were switching between marking during the game, we kept him quiet. You didn’t see much of him in this game, did you!? And Koroki was so quiet that he was subbed at half time, also, so I think we had the right approach, and it was working.
JS: How was it to play in a Cup Final?
CJ: It’s already great to be in Japan, I love it, and the fans are amazing just for “normal” games, so this Cup Final really was special – but I think the fans are special in every game in Japan! The fans are much more exciting that in Europe. Today was incredible to walk out and see a whole side in orange, and the other side in red. As the teams came out the sound was amazing, the big trophy mural on the far stand was fantastic – what an atmosphere. Someone asked if this motivated me, and I, of course, replied that it’s a final – motivation was not needed, but it all helps create the atmosphere!
JS: And you were captain – special day?
CJ: Not really – an honour indeed, but nothing special. Every game I play is special and, of course, this was a Cup Final, and I was captain, but I give everything for the team in any game, captain or not. It didn’t affect my approach to the game. I am a natural leader – even though I say it myself – so I was already taking the lead in defence and I feel this is one of my stronger qualities – organizing the team so I was honoured to receive the captain’s armband, and I hope that the confidence of the management, staff and team in making me captain will be repaid many times.
JS: You had only made a late substitute appearance in the last J.League game – the victory over Antlers – how was your fitness?
CJ: I have to admit, I am only at 80% and, unfortunately it shows on the winning goal, when I allow the player to move past me. If I had been 100% fit, that would have been no problem to take that ball! I was lacking pace today, because of the injury, which was sad, in the end.
JS: Anything you’d like to add?
CJ: While it is disappointing for the team and the fans to get this far and lose a Cup Final, it is gratifying that we are in this position as I saw a magazine at the start of the season that has us tipped for relegation. That made me quite angry and I am very happy to have proved that comment wrong, by a long way! As I said, there is a lot more potential and promise in this team – we will go far!
Have some OLD J.League memories on JSoccer Magazine!
Kashima Antlers team and fans celebrate their Nabisco Cup win.
A Quick Video Look at the banners of Shimizu S-Pulse – pre-Nabisco Cup Final
J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final Preview
Saturday, November 3rd, 13.00 – National Stadium, Tokyo
Shimizu S-Pulse v. Kashima Antlers
This weekend sees Shimizu S-Pulse – trophy-less for a decade – take on the holders of the Nabisco Cup – as it is conveniently known in its shortened form, for the first trophy of the season. In 2011 the tournament was cut short after the Tohoku Tragedy of March 11th, with group games abandoned and a knockout format installed that commenced in June.
Kashima were one of the teams given a bye to the quarter finals, due to ACL commitments, and they took care of Yokohama F.Marinos and Nagoya Grampus in their two matches to get to a final against Urawa Reds, which they won by the solitary goal from Osako in extra time.
For Antlers, a victory would be their 5th in this tournament, following on from 1997, 2000, 2002 and last season’s tragedy-affected tournament.
After losing the first two finals of this competition, in 1992 and 1993 – both against Verdy Kawasaki – they were victorious in the 1996 tournament, finally beating Verdy in that final, on penalty kicks, after a 3-3 draw after extra time. S-Pulse fans will be hoping to make up for ten years of bare cabinets with the Nabisco Cup 2012 to add to the sole Emperor’s Cup in 2001, an Asian Cup Winners’ Cup in 2000 and two Xerox Super Cups (2001/2002). The team also won the 1st Stage of the J.League – in a Two Stage season – in 1999 – losing to Shizuoka rivals Jubilo in the Championship Play-Off.
Kashima Antlers are well ahead of their opponents in the trophtystakes, of course, with seven J.League titels, the four aforementioned Nabisco Cups, four Emperor’s Cup and five Super Cups to their name, but a gloried past has not helped them this season as they fight relegation with just four games to play and an Antlers fan who would prefer a Nabisco Cup and a J2 place will be hard to find, which may well give S-Pulse an advantage this weekend, as Antlers coach Jorginho and his team will have one eye on a Wednesday night tie with Omiya Ardija to contend with. A loss at Omiya would put the Kashima team in deep trouble, while a victory would see them all but safe.
Of course, a win in the Nabisco Cup might gloss over the problems that have faced Antlers this season and perhaps a change in coach is on the cards right now, but a cup win might placate the powers-that-be and fool them into thinking all is OK? That’s another story!
Shimizu S-Pulse are probably in a completely different boat, with Afshin Ghotbi having worked his magic on the team, despite losing, quite literally half a team AFTER he had signed on in early 2011! The departures of Japan internationals Shinji Okazaki and Jungo Fujimoto, as well as Norwegian talisman Frode Johnsen was bad enough. He also saw experienced players like Teruyoshi Ito and Daisuke Ichikawa move on before the ink on his contract had dried. He molded a new team around young talent, brought in some experience and easily fought off the expected relegation fight that many expected, and has continued the improvement into this season.
It’s not all been plain sailing, of course, and the team’s ups and downs – though very much in the up as the season comes to a close – have been due to the careful phasing out of players who, while being favourites of some of the hierarchy at the club, were not necessarily the right mix for the team. Whether the likes of Tsujio, Edamura and Iwashita will return better players remains to be seen, while the loss of Alex Brosque to the riches of Qatar came with a high compensation, which I was assured by Afshin Ghotbi himself would go a long way to developing more of the young talent that the club has seen break through this season. The no.9 shirt has been a complete saga in itself – with Freddie Ljungberg departing early in the year, his replacement Jymmy Franca not settling in and being farmed out to Tokyo Verdy, and, finally, perhaps, Kim Hyun-Sung – though wearing the no.35 shirt – finally becoming the no.9 that the fans were looking for? Maybe that’s premature, but a vital goal against Kashima Antlers in league play last weekend has put S-Pulse in the driving seat toward an ACL place, while surely giving them the psychological advantage going into this final, also!
It would be remiss not to mention Shinji Ono, who moved to Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s A-League. He had become a fringe player with the club and when the chance to broaden his horizons came along, the club did not stand in his way and allowed a free transfer, wishing the player all the best.
All the outgoing action has almost, but not quite overshadowed the breakthrough of such talent as Ryohei Shirasaki and Hideki Ishige – who will be training with Manchester City in the close season, it seems – the maturing of the likes of Genki Omae and Toshiyuki Takagi, the fight for a goalkeeping spot between two international class keepers in Kaito Yamamoto and Akihiro Hayashi, and the development of a defensive leafer in Calvin Jong-a-Pin, all of which has helped Shimizu S-Pulse become a team that sees them – in the final weeks of the season – still in the hunt for all three trophies in the Japanese game, plus that 2013 ACL spot, of course.
Kashima Antlers, of course, are not without their developing talent – from Koroki and Osako, the talented duo up front, the trio of Endo, Nishi and Masuda all approaching their prime, and Shibasaki and Yamamura making the breakthrough – to mention a few – but perhaps the difference in these two teams is just that – the word team! S-Pulse seem to have become a team under Afshin Ghotbi, while Antlers have struggled under Jorginho. Saturday afternoon will see one team triumph, another disappoint. Who do you fancy?
Ishige – from S-Pulse to Manchester City? The Real Exclusive Story
As noted on the latest JTalk Podcast, also, I spoke to Afshin Ghotbi about the rumours of S-Pulse youngster Hideki Ishige “moving to Manchester City”. When these rumours first surfaced, many were outraged. We at JSoccer Magazine did not believe it so, but wrote that IF he should make that move, it should be at a very high price, and that cash be invested very wisely in the future of a team that already seems to have a bright future.
In my exclusive talk with the S-Pulse coach he assured me that Ishige would not be leaving the Shizuoka team any time in the near future and this was merely part of a long-term plan to broaden the horizons of his young players. A plan that would bode well for the near and long-term future of the team he us building at S-Pulse. His young, and even some of the not-so-young players, depending on timing and availability, would be encouraged to spend “down time” at other clubs, with experienced players and coaches, and learn their craft with the best. It’s something that Ghotbi feels strongly about and is doing all in his power to help develop the members of the Orange Revolution taking place at S-Pulse.
Ghotbi noted that he had specifically chosen Ishige for this time at Manchester City – making use of his extensive contacts throughout the football world, and noted that the schoolboy J.Leaguer would not be the last of his team to be given this chance, also naming forward Ryohei Shirasaki as someone he would like get similar experience. The S-Pulse coach has been assured by Roberto Mancini himself that the versatile Ishige would be training with the first team squad in January, if all goes to plan – the only problem on the horizon is convincing the player’s school teachers that he should be allowed time off from his studies!
When asked if Ishige would be sold, if Manchester City came in with a bid after the player’s session with the Premier League, Ghotbi replied that, while it was unlikely, yet, if Ishige ever decided he wanted to move on, the club would not stand in his way, but would make sure they were well compensated and the money would be put to good use improving the S-Pulse family and giving more promising youngsters the chance that the likes of Ishige and Shirasaki are getting.
Alan Gibson, JSoccer Magazine
Kay Bohn from Germany sends us his memories of Ground-Hopping in Japan!
A friend and I wanted to go to Japan and, of course football had to be watched on this trip. We planned the trip for almost half a year before we finally we arrived in Tokyo on April 3rd this year.
April 4th – Kashiwa Reysol vs. Guangzhou Evergrande – AFC Champions League – 0:0 – Attendance 8,787 (1000 away fans approx.) – Kashiwa Hitachi Stadium
The first match we wanted to see was Kashiwa Reysol vs Gangzhou in the AFC Champions League. About 8,800 spectators visited the match in Kashiwa Stadium this evening. We estimated about 1.000 Guangzhou supporters were in the away end. We talked to few of them and they told us that most of them were Chinese students that live in Japan. Only a few were really from China. The football wasn’t a high level, so we weren’t surprised that the match ended 0:0. At least the support was very good. All throughout the match both supporter groups chanted non-stop. First match in Japan completed and we were ready for more.
April 7th – Kashima Antlers vs. Urawa Red Diamonds – J.League J1 – 1:3 – 23,507 (3.500 away) – Kashima Soccer Stadium
We took a train on Saturday morning to Kashima. We really expected a lot from the Urawa supporters. About 3,500 of them rocked the away sector. Great performance. Great number for away fans. The Antlers fans were also very good. Great songs, loud support.
It was a choir battle on the terraces. Also very attractive and fast football with nice goals.
April 8th – Tokyo Verdy vs. Tokushima Vortis – J.League J2 – 2:0 – 3,110 (100 away) – Ajinomoto Stadium
Ajinomoto Stadium was also a World Cup Stadium in 2002, but the second division in Japan seems not to be really attractive for the spectators, so only about 3,000 visitors came into the completely over-sized stadium for a J2 match. In a wholly grey stadium with a track for athletics the stadium seem even bigger and more empty. Not the ugliest stadium, but definitely too big for Tokyo Verdy.
About 100 away supporters that you could hear from time to time found their way to Tokyo. At least a group of about 500 people in the home section sang bravely during the match almost constantly.
After the Tokyo Verdy match we had about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to the next match. With a Google maps printout and no local knowledge we jumped into local trains, changed trains and ran to the next stadium. We arrived a few minutes after kick off and I think even a local wouldn(t have done it better. That’s Groundhopping!! 
April 8th – Kawasaki Frontale vs. FC Tokyo – J.League J1 – 0:1 – 20,996 (5,000 away) – Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium
The stadium was sold out (or so they told us, the official spectator number and the capacity tell another story!) and with a little help of the friendly Kawasaki press staff we got in. About 25 % of the stadium was filled by away supporters. It was an absolutely great atmosphere with loud chants on both sides. Nice stadium, which should be unique. Nice flags on both sides and 90 minutes full support. Fast football, really nice to watch. The FC Tokyo sector exploded after the goal. It was the best match on the tour.
April 14th – Urawa Reds vs. Vissel Kobe – J.League J1 – 2:0 – 25,894 (300 away) – Saitama Stadium 2002
On Saturday we went to Saitama to see the legendary Urawa Reds in a home match in the famous Saitama World Cup Stadium of 2002. We didn’t expect to see many guests from Kobe and we got what we were expecting. About 150 supporters of Vissel Kobe found their way to Saitama. They still tried to make the best of their situation and supported their team in the rain. The game was not sold out but the home area was filled and the atmosphere was very good. Sometimes it got really loud. Very impressive support by the Urawa fans. 90 minutes at full power! Also interesting was the large number of nice flags of the supporters. Some were really big and with an ornate style.
April 15th – JEF United Chiba Ichihara vs. Fagiano Okayama – J.League J2 – 0:0 – 9,056 (200 away) – Fukuda Denshi Arena
Today we saw a very good number of spectators for a J2 match. The former J1 team, JEF, played very well but did not take their chances to win. Great support from the home sector behind the goal. About 150 away supporters also tried their best. Unfortunately no goals in this match.
It was our last match of the tour and we flew home directly the next day.
We had great time in Japan with good sport, great support and very nice and friendly people. We definitely will be back!
Kay Bohn
