Kagawa Shinji: “It's far more amazing than me at the time” Comparing the talented 20-year-old… The only advice I gave – Livedoor News

Kagawa Shinji: “It's much more amazing than me at the time” Comparing the talented 20-year-old… The only advice I gave

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Regarding Kitano Sota, who reported on Salzburg's transfer, “It's fun for Japanese soccer.”

Former Japanese national team midfielder Kagawa Shinji is one of Europe's most successful Japanese players.

He transferred to German first division Dortmund in 2010, and made a significant contribution to the Bundesliga winning streak, which Bayern had previously held hegemony. Due to his achievements, he was taken over by Manchester United in the first division of England. He then returned to Dortmund, travelled to Turkey, Spain, Greece and Belgium, and returned to Cerezo Osaka, where he began his professional career in 2023. How does Kagawa, a veteran, see the current situation in which it has become common for Japanese players to play in Europe?

In the 22nd round of the J1 League match against Urawa Reds on May 28th, when a scoreless draw was completed, Kagawa played at Saitama Stadium for the first time in about eight years. On this morning, it was reported that teammate midfielder Kitano Sota would be transferred to Salzburg in Austrian first division.

Kagawa is currently playing as a midfielder and is making use of Kitano and midfielder Shibayama Masaya, but he says he is trying not to overlap with his former self, saying, “I don't think there will be any similar players.” However, there appears to be one exception.

“Everyone is a player with a different personality, and I don't give advice on myself. I would like to convey something that can bring even a little extra to their traits and things they believe in. Even if it's Kitano and Souta, there are many things I've grasped myself. Shiba (Shibayama) didn't get any results last year, but the manager also gave him trust and management is doing very well, and in order to respond to that, the results will come out one day. From personal experience, this is the only way to say that. I want young players to do this over and over again. I want them to keep repeating this and keep watching over them while watching from the side,” he says, adding that he conveys the importance of working on tasks from practice based on his own experience.

It is probably a benefit for young players today that they can get advice by using players who have actually fought in Europe as teammates. However, Kagawa immediately replies that, compared to when he was younger, the abilities of young people today are “a completely different now.”

“They're speed and their ability to run. Like Sota, they're much more impressive than I did back then. Soccer has also changed, so the colour of their players has changed. We can now see European soccer as a matter of course, and we can live our days with our awareness facing it, which is different from 15 years ago. When we were there, we were doing it while looking at the country rather than looking at Europe. That's why I think it's an era where we can feel that the world is more familiar,” he said, expressing his hopes of Kitano, who will soon be leaving Japan, saying, “It's very important for Cerezo to see Souta again (overseas) in this way, and it's very important for Japanese soccer, so I'm looking forward to it.” (Taku Kawai)