【The last drama of youth】Vow made after experiencing a life-changing tournament - The 100th All Japan High Sc #football

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 09:49:14 +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.

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Becoming captain after a frustrating campaign

OKAZAKI Shinji has played in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament since his first year at Takigawa Daini High School and scored three goals as the ace striker in the 82nd tournament in his second year. However, the team lost 0-4 to Kunimi High School in the semi-finals held at Japan National Stadium.

After the match, Okazaki received some unexpected words from the team captain at the time, ARAI Toshiki.

“After the match, the captain told to me on the pitch, 'I want you to be the next captain. You're the only one who can.’ You know who is suitable to be captain after playing for a year, so we already had decided who was going to be captain of our team for next year.”

Despite thinking of himself as “not the right person to be captain,” Okazaki made the decision immediately. “I thought that someone who has experienced this frustration must be the one to take on the responsibility. I played with Arai-san in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament in my first year, and experienced the disappointment, before suffering another bitter experience against Kunimi this year. I felt that I was the only one who could carry on what we had gone through over the last two years.”

Okazaki made the decision to become captain and appealed directly to his coach, Kazuo KURODA. At the time, Takigawa Daini voted for their captain, but this was the first time in Kuroda's career that a player had come forward to run for captain. Eventually he got the approval of all his team-mates and asked for the support of the player who was supposed to be the captain.

The captain’s role, which he volunteered to take on, put Okazaki under a lot of pressure. “Up until then, all I had to think about was myself, but when I became captain, I had to think about the other players. In addition, I had to organise the player's meetings based on the directions given by coach Kuroda, which made me realise how hard it is to be a captain.”

For Okazaki, who consider himself as a caring person, he was often troubled by the captain’s role, as he recalls, “I cried more in my third year of high school than any other time in my life.”

At the same time, the team showed a definite growth, as they reached the quarterfinals of the Inter-High School Championships in the summer. Despite losing to Kunimi in a penalty shoot-out, the team's strength was enhanced by the integration of second and third year players, including the emergence of MORISHIMA Yasuhito (retired from Fujieda MYFC this season). As the captain, Okazaki had plenty of confidence with the team, “We felt that we were strong, and that strengthened our belief that we could do well in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.”

Entering the last All Japan High School Soccer Tournament totally worn out

Takigawa Daini advanced through the Hyogo preliminary round and qualified for the 83rd tournament. However, Okazaki felt something unusual in his body. While making a routine play, he felt a sharp pain in his right foot. “I knew it was bad because I couldn’t even walk because of the pain.” The diagnosis was “stress fracture.” Needing three months to recover from the injury, his chance of playing in his third All Japan High School Soccer Tournament was in jeopardy.

Surprisingly, however, “I was a bit relieved when I got injured,” said Okazaki.

“The injury was tough, but being captain was even tougher. I was more concerned about the role of organising the team, and that was all I was thinking about. Of course it would have been better to enter the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament without the injury, but it allowed me to concentrate on supporting the team, which in turn allowed me to switch my mindset and sort out what I needed to do.”

However, he did not completely give up on the idea of competing in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. After a month and a half of rehabilitation, he managed to get himself back on the pitch. “The only thing I checked beforehand was whether I could move or not. I didn't even bother going through shooting practice, I just took painkilling injections and went into the tournament.”

The first match was against Seiryo High School featuring HONDA Keisuke. The game was tightly contested, and Okazaki came on in the 64th minute after his side had gone two goals behind. In the 67th minute, Okazaki responded to a cut back of Morishima and scored a goal with a diving header, throwing his body into the goal net. Despite making another attempt in the closing minutes, his shot was denied by the opposing goalkeeper. With the match ending 3-4, Okazaki’s third and final appearance in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament came to an end.

It wasn’t the ending he was looking for, but surprisingly, no tears flowed, as he said, “I had been crying so much that by that time my tears had dried up.” Okazaki also mentioned, “The only way to make up for this disappointment and to express my gratitude to coach Kuroda is to thrive in the professional world.” He had already decided to join Shimizu S-Pulse at the time, but football fans would know how the striker’s career has developed since then.

As he mentioned that "Each one of us has a story to tell," Okazaki's All Japan High School Soccer Tournament had a story that only he could tell. “The All Japan High School Soccer Tournament is a life-changing tournament for those who aspire to play on that stage,” said Okazaki, with conviction.