World Cup: Red alert – Fired-up Nagatomo fuels Japan in Qatar

DOHA – Mellowing with age is not part of the plan for Japan veteran Yuto Nagatomo, whose flame-red hair and wild celebrations are helping to fuel their fire in Qatar.

The 36-year-old fullback has been in irrepressible mood at his fourth World Cup – a record for a Japanese outfield player – and is fully embracing his role as the team’s elder statesman.

He played nearly an hour of Japan’s stunning 2-1 opening win over Germany on Wednesday but his involvement was not over when he left the pitch.

He spent the rest of the match encouraging his teammates from the sidelines and racing off the bench to congratulate goal scorers Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano.

His exuberance carried over into his post-match interviews, screaming “Bravo!” into a TV camera in a clip that went viral around the world.

It was nothing out of the ordinary for a player who has dyed his hair red to fire up his teammates.

“The idea was that it’s the red of the Japanese flag and it also shows the passion of our players,” he explained.

“I wanted to express that.”

The defender was never likely to do things half-heartedly at a World Cup in which he is determined to make a positive impact.

Japan’s squad contains 19 players making their World Cup debuts and only a handful of veterans.

Defender Maya Yoshida and reserve goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima are still around but most of the generation who led Japan at the previous three World Cups – Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki and Makoto Hasebe – have moved on.

Nagatomo is taking a hands-on leadership role, always at the front of the group when the players warm up and a constant vocal presence in training sessions.

“We have a lot of players who are playing at their first World Cup and they have confidence from playing at European clubs. We don’t have so many veterans this time,” he said.

“The veteran players are the base of the team and then the confidence of the players comes together to form one whole like a puzzle.”

Nagatomo is approaching the end of a career that few in the history of Japanese football can match.

After making his World Cup debut in 2010, he moved to Italy and made 170 league appearances for Inter Milan. He also played for Galatasaray and Marseille before returning to FC Tokyo in the J-League in 2021.

Given his age, he would likely have arrived in Qatar as a back-up had first-choice left-back Yuta Nakayama not suffered a season-ending injury on the eve of the tournament. Now Nagatomo could well start in Japan’s game against Costa Rica on Sunday on the opposite side of defence after right-back Hiroki Sakai picked up a knock against Germany.

“I’m prepared to play in whatever position,” said Nagatomo, who has 139 caps for Japan.

He will not be difficult to spot if he does feature against Costa Rica, racing up and down the flank with his streak of red hair.

Captain Yoshida warned his teammates not to get ahead of themselves on Sunday, noting that while they had sashayed through Germany’s defence, they cannot afford to “dance badly” against Costa Rica.

The Japanese are second in Group E and level with Spain on three points, while Germany and Costa Rica, who were thrashed 7-0 by the Spaniards, have zero.

A win will send Japan through to the next round if Germany fail to beat Spain.

Yoshida said that the Japanese media have tended to focus on the team’s games against European heavyweights Germany and Spain ever since the draw was made, with the Costa Rica clash being “pushed to one side”.

But he is wary of a Costa Rican backlash after their Spanish humiliation.

“They got hammered in their previous game so I think they’re really going to go for it,” he said. “There are no easy teams at the World Cup. They will be fighting for the pride of their country and we have to be mentally prepared.”

Coach Hajime Moriyasu agreed. “All we’re thinking about is the next game that’s in front of us,” he said, stressing that the Germany game was already in the past.

“We celebrate if we win or we feel frustrated if we lose, but we always think of things we could have done better and start preparing for the next game in a positive way.”

He also said beating Germany had given Japan “peace of mind” but, should they beat Costa Rica on Sunday, few would bet on the fiery Nagatomo being the most zen player on the pitch.
AFP, REUTERS