For the World Cup finals, he vowed to catch regulars, saying, “I haven’t settled on the national team yet. I want to win the competition that is about to start.”
“I’m relieved. I think I can play a little more on the national team.”
With that said, the captain Maya Yoshida (33) smiled, but his eyes were bright red.
On March 24, Japan won the away match against Australia 2-0 and decided to participate in the World Cup for the seventh time in seven consecutive tournaments. However, the road to this point was steep.
[Images available]Maya Yoshida and Junya Ito shed tears after the match
1 win and 2 losses from the first race to the third race. No country has been cornered so far to compete in the World Cup. However, from the 4th round to the previous match against Australia, he won 6 consecutive victories. It was the acquisition of the right to participate after suffering.
That’s why. Yuto Nagatomo (35), Junya Ito (29) and others, including Yoshida, were deeply moved by tears.
In contrast, Kaoru Mitoma (24), who participated halfway in the 39th minute of the second half and scored two goals. After the match, the hero who executed his own words, “I will leave a result even for one minute,” raised the towel with a smile at the request of this magazine and expressed joy.
Mitoma grew up in the youth of Kawasaki Frontale. He was asked to be promoted to the top at 3 o’clock, but refused and went on to Tsukuba University. The reason is that he “did not have the confidence to do it professionally”.
However, he rejoined Kawasaki after refining his greatest weapon, dribbling, in his four years at university. In the first year, he was selected as the best eleven with 13 points in Thailand, which is the most newcomer, and 12 assists, which is the most in J1.
He moved to the Premier League Brighton in the summer of 2021 and is currently active in the Belgian Sanjirowers for a limited time.
“My favorite dribble is the skill of dodging eel-like slurries in small steps, if I think I left the opponent behind with a sudden gear change. That style is called” slimy dribble “.
When I asked what kind of player I was aiming for before, I said, “No. I want to stick to my style. ”(Soccer writer)
Until now, many supporters have asked, “Why don’t you use Kaoru Mitoma?” Mitoma answered that question with a goal of a lot of money that would lead Japan to the World Cup.
(Weekly FLASH April 12, 2022 issue)
