【The last drama of youth】From being a defensive midfielder to playing FW with his brother - The 100th All Jap #football

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 14:28:27 +0900

The 100th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament will kick-off on Tuesday 28 December. How did the players who made it to the big stage spend their high school years? Here we bring you the high school stories of OKAZAKI Shinji (FC Cartagena/Spain), who has played in three consecutive FIFA World Cups.

Aiming for the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament with his brother

“There are so many emotions involved, and each person has a story to tell. I think it is a tournament that encapsulates everything that has happened over the three years.”

This is what OKAZAKI Shinji, who has played in three consecutive FIFA World Cups and currently plays for FC Cartagena in Spain's second division, had to say about the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Okazaki went to Takigawa Daini High School in April 2002, one of the top football schools in his hometown. The decision came naturally for Okazaki to join the school's football team, where his older brother Takahiro played.

Although he joined the team as a forward, he was not the first choice attacker for the first year team. The coach, Kazuo KURODA (at the time), also told him at the beginning that he might not be able to become a starter for three years. One day he played as a defensive midfielder in a scrimmage game, while his brother Takahiro, who was also a forward, played as a right full-back for another team.

The two encouraged each other and continued to make desperate efforts, which led to them being paired upfront as the two attackers in the 81st All Japan High School Soccer Tournament of that year. For Okazaki, his encounter with coach ARAKAWA Yuko was instrumental. Coach Arakawa, who served as an interpreter for Argentine National Team's coach Marcelo Bielsa (current coach of Leeds United) at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, told Okazaki that he was “still a stone in the rough, but the more you polish it, the better it will become,” and actively used him in training matches. Okazaki quickly rose to prominence and became a starter in the A team despite being a first year student.

Takahiro, who Okazaki recalls “he was still in the C team when I entered school,” has also worked his way up to becoming a member for the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. As Okazaki said, “He spent three years to become a regular member of the team. He is an amazing brother,” Takahiro must have had his own story to tell.

We shared a similar style of play, so we tended to make the same moves. When I heard my brother being told by my classmates, “(the older) Okazaki needs to think more and move differently,” I felt very sorry for him. Okazaki recalls with a wry smile how the brothers played together, but their aggressive play has been a great asset for the team, and Takahiro scored a goal in the third-round against Kochi High School (3-1) to help the team win.

Okazaki himself scored two goals in the quarterfinals against Higashi Fukuoka High School (3-2). For a player who had never been involved in a national competition before, it was the first goal he scored on the national stage. He scored with a shot that deflected off an opponent, and from a cross ball that ricocheted off a defender to give him a great chance to score, as he reflected, “I definitely got lucky, but it really showed my character.” It was his first time being interviewed after the match. “When I look back at it, it was like, ‘What am I saying?’”

Disappointment at the National Stadium for the second year running

The semi-final was against Funabashi Municipal High School. The match took place at Japan National Stadium, but it left Okazaki with nothing but bitter memories. More than the 0-2 defeat, it was the fact that he got sick just before the match and was unable to play for more than 20 minutes as a starter. “I took medication before the match, but I wasn't even able to feel the atmosphere of the National Stadium. All I can remember is how hard it was.” And that was how Okazaki's first All Japan High School Soccer Tournament came to an end.

In his second year, he was expected to be a mainstay of the A team, but Okazaki recalls, “I don't remember much” about that time. Nevertheless, he continued to work hard, “I always told myself that it was just a coincidence that I was able to play well, and that I needed to strive to get better.”

A sprained ankle kept him out of the Hyogo qualifiers for the 82nd tournament, and he only appeared as a substitute in the final against Amagasaki Municipal High School. He scored a late equaliser during additional time to set up the game winner scored by Komoto Hiroyuki (retired from Omiya Ardija this season) in extra time. “When you play football, there are times when your fate depends on whether you score or not, and for me, that was the first turning point”

Okazaki came to prominence after scoring two goals in the first match of the tournament against Nagaoka Koryo High School in the second round. However, in the following match against Rissho Shonan High School, he made an attempt with an overhead shot, and after the team won 1-0, coach Kuroda was furious with him.

“Coach Kuroda said to me, `You got carried away after scoring a brace in the first round. You are not the kind of player who would attempt an overhead kick in such a situation.' I cried in front of everyone because what he said was true for me.”

After reflecting on his actions, Okazaki scored another goal in the quarterfinals against Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School to lead Takigawa Daini to their second consecutive trip to the National Stadium. However, they were up against Kunimi High School, regarded as the best team in the country at the time. “Monster” HIRAYAMA Sota (current head coach of Sendai University), was “one or two levels above” as a striker, and his team suffered a 0-4 defeat.

Reflecting on their match against Kunimi, Okazaki said, “I was completely out of my depth. It was a different kind of helplessness from the previous year, and I remember thinking ‘Why do this always happen at the National Stadium...’” And, after the match, he was given some surprising words.

Continue reading Vol.2