In 1991, Japanese football was at its lowest point. Their top flight was played by amateurs…
Tag: japan
Captain Tsubasa: the anime star who changed the face of Japanese football and inspired Messi, Iniesta and Nakata
Having endured almost 70 years of anonymity at the World Cup, the 2018 edition in…
How 18 months in Japan set Arsène Wenger up for glory at the top
Few of football’s best and brightest managers would ever chance an exotic venture in a…
Watch: Paddy’s New Korea? Episode 2 of the CONIFA documentary
If you didn’t already know, Paddy Power are sponsoring the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup…
How Japan is stuck between national team peaks and domestic troughs, with World Cup winner Megumi Takase
KOBE IS A BUSY CITY. Of course, most cities are busy, but Kobe is busy…
Shinji Okazaki: the modest one
THE SUCCESS OF any organisation is rarely down to just a few contributors, much like…
Kazuyoshi Miura: the Japan legend still going strong at 50
JAPANESE STRIKER Kazuyoshi Miura recently signed a new one-year deal for J2 League club Yokohama…
How amputee football in Japan is slowly changing societal attitudes
IT SITS THERE, almost like an unexpected guest. Mount Fuji impressively intrudes on a Sunday…
Football in Japan’s incredible city of Nagasaki
THERE IS AN EERIE CALM TO THE CITY OF NAGASAKI, which is difficult to gauge.…
Hidetoshi Nakata: the trailblazer who changed the future of Asian football
Illustration by Federico Manasse Before the summer of 2002, Asia was largely forgotten by the…
Yasuhiko Okudera: Japanese football’s first overseas pioneer
THERE IS A JAPANESE PHRASE which translates roughly to “the frog in the well knows…
The muddled history of Japanese footballers in the Premier League
EACH PREMIER LEAGUE season provides a stark reminder of the global reach of the English…
Gary Lineker in the Land of the Rising Sun
ON 2 MAY 1992, Gary Lineker scored his final goal in English football as Tottenham…
The unsure obsession of Hidetoshi Nakata
In the summer of 2002, Asian football was thrust into the global spotlight thanks to a…
The Tom Byer effect
PART OF WHAT MOTIVATED ME IN FOOTBALL was the drive to improve. Growing up, I was…